Parts to Play: Books 1 & 2
by darling-gypsum
Summary: Asami Sato has been raised her whole life to distrust benders, but now, she doesn't know quite what to make of the Avatar. The two girls bond as the Equalist threat looms over Republic City, but the threat could be closer than Korra realizes. Asami's allegiances are tested. (blends with show canon, so Korrasami, Makorra, and Masami ships are all acknowledged and explored)
1. Spoils

**Asami pampers the Fire Ferrets**

 _(set sometime around early episode 5)_

* * *

Bolin was face down in a pillow, making indecent noises as a thin elderly masseuse pressed an elbow into his back. "Lao, my friend, you are a _tension bender._ " Bolin groaned into his pillow. "Korra, you have to try this."

"I'm fine," Korra lied. Her body felt like one giant, sore muscle.

"You sure you don't want to take a turn?" Asami asked. She carried a stack of towels into the locker room. "You took a pretty hard hit back in the second bout. I reserved the full hour with Lao and Bin, if you can sit tight for a few minutes."

"No thanks." Korra shook her head carefully and gave her a brittle smile.

Asami stepped to where Mako was lying face up, his arm outstretched. A second masseuse, an identical twin of the other man, kneaded a spot Korra recalled him falling on in the match. Asami leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. He smiled dreamily, his eyes drifting closed. Korra picked up her pace towards the door.

"I'm just going to head home." She got a hand a few inches up to wave to her teammates. "See you two at practice tomorrow."

Bolin was too engrossed in his massage, but Mako lifted his free hand, his voice drowsy. "Night, Korra."

"You don't have to play hero," Asami said, following her to the doorway. "I want my whole team in top shape."

"Really, I'm good-"

The towel stack in Asami's arms was suddenly tossed at Korra. She caught them with a jolt of pain. It took a moment for her breath to return.

Asami raised an eyebrow at her.

"...see?" Korra flashed a grin through clenched teeth.

Asami nodded at the empty third table. "Sit."

Lao and Bin both glanced up as Asami navigated the Avatar back into the locker room. Asami lifted a hand to them. "I've got it." The twins gave her a quick bow before returning their attentions to Mako and Bolin.

Korra hopped onto the table. Snaking out of her Fire Ferret jersey was a bit of a trial, but she managed it with the help of a second pair of hands. Her back twinged a few times. A brush of air made Korra shiver as Asami pushed her hair back behind her shoulders. She adjusted back on the table when Asami stepped between her legs to get closer.

Her hands gripped Korra's shoulders and neck, rolling muscle forward experimentally with her fingertips. "Great job tonight."

"Oh, thanks," she said. Asami gently applied more pressure, and hit a spot that made Korra's body go limp for a split second. Her eyes clamped shut, and she bit back a noise.

"Yup," Asami said. Korra could hear a smile. "Exactly where Mako gets it."

Korra breathed heavily through the painful twitching in her muscles, ignoring the image of Mako getting personal back rubs from the girl. The scent of jasmine filled her nose for a moment. She probably smelled like a gym sock in comparison.

"Relax your shoulders," Asami instructed gently, "Don't forget to breathe."

Asami had a harder grip than Korra expected. Despite how soft Asami's skin felt, there were callouses on her fingertips. Not what Korra expected of an heiress. Much like her enthusiasm for pro-bending; Asami could keep toe-to-toe with Mako when it came to stats and techniques, and she couldn't even bend. She was smart.

"Aren't firebending and waterbending different techniques? I wouldn't have thought you'd get the same repetitive injuries."

Korra's shoulder blades ached, jealous of the attention that the connected neck muscles were getting. She squirmed a bit to aim Asami's fingers further back.

"Korra?"

Her body swayed in rhythm with the massage. Asami's hands were so warm.

The rubbing stopped, and Korra looked up. "Hm?"

Asami smirked down at her. "That good, huh?"

Korra smiled back, blushing.

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	2. After Hours

_**Asami and Korra sneak into the Pro-Bending arena after hours**_

 _(Set between episodes 5 and 6)_

* * *

Asami stared down at the water-pit, her toes over the edge of the platform. She whistled softly. "What a drop." Her voice clung to the air, drifting alongside soft echoes in the massive empty arena. Only the dull glow of lanterns lit the edges of the stands. "How deep is the pool?" she asked.

Korra could barely make out anything in the dim light rippling off the water's dark surface. "Fifteen, twenty feet." She gripped the railing. In the dim lighting, she was having trouble keeping her balance. The drinks they'd snuck in the cab had been higher proof than she'd expected. Her stomach was turning a bit as the room threatened to spin.

 _Take it like a grown-up and pay your penance_ , she told herself.

Korra had finally agreed to a late night joyride partly to get Asami to stop asking, but mostly as a self imposed punishment for being such a clod. Mako had obviously not told her about the kiss. Korra was avoiding him like a plague, and she could only imagine how much wallowing Bolin was doing, but at least being nice to Asami might make the Avatar feel like more of a person than a homewrecker.

Asami returned to the home-team prep table where she'd already left her boots. She shrugged off her jacket, baring her shoulders in a black top. "Ever gone high diving?" she asked, neatly folding it on the table.

"Ever swam at the South Pole?" Korra chuckled.

"I'm sure this'll be a little warmer." Asami undid her belt and slipped her cargo pants off. Her upper legs were pale, toned. She had more scars than Korra expected.

Korra's eyes trailed up to count the ceiling tiles. She fiddled with her hands at the railing. "Security's wandering around the building. Don't you have a pool at your house?"

"Where's the fun in being where you're supposed to?"

"That's another fifty feet before you hit water," Korra said, peering down at the water-pit. Her brain regretted it immediately. The whole arena spun. "And there's a landing down there you might hit." She took a long breath, holding the railing.

"I'm hearing an awful lot of excuses from the mighty Avatar," Asami laughed. "I didn't think you were afraid of anything."

Korra turned, frowning. "You could get hurt."

Asami's grin was fierce. "Then catch me."

She took off into a dead sprint towards the edge.

"Wait!" Korra's heart leapt up into her brain and she dashed for the open edge of the platform, but Asami reached it first and dove.

Korra watched Asami sail downward, her body in a gracefully thin line, palms pointed towards the water-pit below. Reflex took over, and Korra swept her arms out, bending the water from the pool in an upward surge.

A dozen feet before Asami would have hit the surface, she slipped into the Avatar's water-bent swell. She disappeared below with barely a splash.

The room spun again, and as the wave fell, Korra snatched the railing to steady herself. Her eyes strained at the dark waves she'd kicked up with her bending. A dive from this height would have taken Asami deep, even with the buffer Korra had given.

Silent heartbeats passed.

A quiet splash echoed from below, and Korra finally breathed as Asami came up for air. She grinned up at the Avatar, long dark hair drenched and clinging to her face. "Booooo!" she called out.

Korra managed a laugh. "Are you okay?"

"Come on!" Asami kicked out, swimming a ways back to give her room."It's warmer than the South Pole; I promise."

Korra winced, staring back at the prep-room door. Waiting for a sign of security reacting to all the noise.

"Korra!" Asami's laughter rolled off the walls, filling the air.

It was another few heartbeats, loud in Korra's ears, before she slowly kicked off her hide boots. Shedding the pelt around her waist, she tossed it to the floor. Korra hopped on the balls of her feet, exhaling quick out of her nose.

"You coming in?" Asami yelled.

Another long breath and Korra's lips quirked up into a smile. She ran off the edge, leaping out with a forward spin and a laugh. Her hands swept a quick gesture, and a column of pool water rose up to meet her. The cold water jolted her brain awake. The sensation was familiar, welcoming. She spun herself with a kick, surfacing to find the entire pool swaying with rowdy waves.

A few yards away, Asami clung to the catwalk beneath the stage with a big grin. "Show off."

Korra tread water as she watched Asami dunk under a crest. No sign of security yet, but that didn't mean they couldn't get caught at any time. Asami reemerged, combing her hair back with her fingers. They swam around quietly for a few long moments, taking in the massive empty arena.

Asami spoke up, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry for taking Mako away from you."

Little panic attacks in Korra's brain started firing. "What? I don't, I mean-"

Asami's smile warmed. "It's not easy to find friends when there's always cameras. I'm sorry I'm taking up his time so much."

The pit in her stomach filled with gravel, and Korra silently wished for it to drag her to the bottom of the pool. She swam in a large circle, avoiding the girl's eyes. "You're not. I get it. He's your boyfriend."

"I hope we can be friends, too," Asami said.

"Sure," Korra said quickly. They'd already shared a night of breaking and entering, why not make it official? She watched Asami swim, all long limbs and pale skin under the water. "You're not how I imagined you'd be."

Asami's smirk grew. "What were you imagining?"

Korra splashed up water to stave off blushing. That smile of hers was a problem: bright and playful, a hint of something else. "You're different when you're around Mako. Or your father. I never would have pegged you for making trespassing a hobby."

"I know how to show a girl a good time, huh?" Asami swam under the bottom tier of the stage, disappearing into shadows. "Life's all about expectations: the ones you meet, the ones you choose to care about."

Korra followed the echoes of Asami's voice. Her eyes adjusted to the dark blue light reflecting off the water, and found the girl clinging to a crack in the wooden beams above, holding herself steady in the pool's wake.

"Look at you," Asami said, "You're the Avatar. There are plenty of responsibilities that go with that. People expect you to hold yourself a certain way, be a certain person. But you're also a daughter, a student, a public figure. When you have a role to play, you try to align to people's expectations. You say and do thing a little differently maybe, but all the roles are still Korra, aren't they?"

"Which Asami am I getting now?"

Asami chuckled. "The fun one, I hope."

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	3. Affection

**A moment of peace. A place to hide away.**

 _(set between episodes 5 and 6)_

* * *

Asami woke to the glow of golden light through the windows. The attic of the pro-bending arena was practically a solarium, with its floor-to-ceiling windows. All around the room, a breathtaking view of the bay and the city skyline. She stared out at the sun falling towards the horizon. The wintry night air had begun to invade. Asami pulled her bare feet back under the blankets, shivering with a smile. At least warm air rose; the platform hanging near the rafters would stay livable for a while longer.

Mako stirred against her, hot to the touch. The floor mattress in his 'room' was snug for two people. He tucked his face further into the crook of her neck. "You fell asleep," he murmured.

"Sorry," Asami smirked, breathing him in as she pressed her lips to his hair. Her fingers threaded through it. She studied the ceiling in the easy silence between them.

There were days when this all felt real. When she managed to let the world fall away for just a moment. Her mother's smile, already blurring at the edges of her memory. Her father's homilies, too frequent and sharp and full of venom. A few days from now, the world will have changed. Decisions would be made for her. Asami still had work to do, but she couldn't will herself to want anything more than the sunset through the windows, and the warm solid arms wrapped around her.

Her nails gently traced the contours of Mako's back, and he shifted under her touch with a satisfied little growl. "What?" she chuckled.

A few hard breaths through his nose and he found the energy to grin up at her. "I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" Mako propped himself up on his hands and kissed her. "I can make dinner."

"A little," she yawned, fidgeting deeper into the mattress.

"Great." He strained to reach a lantern hanging beside them, flicking a tiny flame onto the candle's wick. Pausing on his knees, he watched her stretch. When Mako caught her eyes and smiled, he collapsed back onto the bed, somehow forgetting that he'd planned to get up. Strong hands found Asami's middle and he pulled her close.

She leaned into him, finding it hard for a moment to remember why they ever left the bed. "What time is it?" She craned her neck to find a pair of slacks and a sock draped over the little clock on the floor.

"Don't care," he muttered, tossing a sheet over their heads.

Asami nudged at him with a laugh. "Food or bed, but not both-" She grinned into a long kiss. Mustering the will to pull away, she stuck her head back out from under the sheet. "I'm supposed to pick up Korra at the dock."

"You're going out again?" Mako asked, tucking the blankets around his middle. "Missed you last night."

Inching to the end of the mattress, Asami snatched stray clothes from the floor, untwisted others from under the blanket, grabbing the last of them from the railing beside them. "Sorry, honey. We'd already made plans."

"You two are really getting along," he said.

"Yeah, it surprised me, too." She spied one shoe on the floor downstairs and another a few feet from the bed. "All things considered."

"What's that?" He stiffened a bit, patting at a pillow absently. "What does that mean? Considering what."

Asami smirked, eyeing him. Mako had an atrocious poker face. "Considering she didn't take a liking to me right off the bat," she said. She did up a few buttons at the bottom of her blouse. "Are you okay?"

"Sure," Mako shrugged, sitting up. "That's great. That she changed her mind, I mean." He slid beside her at the foot of the bed and moved her hands aside. He started to help fasten the remaining buttons up to her throat.

"Seems like she thought I was a bored, prissy rich girl glomming onto the first pro-bender I managed to hit with my moped." When Mako reached the final button at the top, he left a gentle kiss just below her ear. She shivered against him.

He was so gentle. The other, self-proclaimed 'stallions' of the pro-bending league, like Tahno and his Wolfbats, were all a bunch of adrenaline junkies. All hungry for the fame and glory, and not much else. Mako had that competitive streak in him, too, to be sure. But it all came from a place of love. He wanted to prove himself, but he also wanted to do right by his brother. His family.

If he'd been more like the others, like Tahno, this all would have been a little easier.

Mako brushed strands of hair from her eyes. "I'm glad you won her over," he said, resting his hands on either side of her face. "It couldn't have taken you long."

She bit her lip with a smirk. "Lucky I've got a charming reckless streak working for me." His eyes shined at that. Snaking an arm around his neck, Asami melted against him. He gripped handfuls of her shirt, holding her firmly as their lips met again. Lingered.

With a frustrated smile, she groaned and pulled herself away. "You gonna be okay on your own tonight?" she asked.

Mako fought a pout. "Don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Tomorrow, I'm all yours," she said. "Promise."

"We're gonna be practicing and resting up for the final match the next few days."

"I'll still see you, won't I?" she asked. Mako nodded. "Okay, after the championship, then. We'll go out and celebrate."

"Or wallow," he chuckled.

Asami gave him a peck and pushed up from the mattress. "But first, there was talk of food." She found a sock underneath her and lobbed it at him with a gentle laugh. "Put on some pants."

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	4. Infiltration

**A home invasion in the middle of the night…**

(Set between episodes 5 and 6)

* * *

 _Be present. Be patient. Take refuge in the crowd. Find your path in darkness._

Sharp green eyes watched a security guard turn the corner out of the east wing. The hallway sank into quiet shadows as his lantern light faded. Delicate fingers brushed a trail down the wall, listening to the cold stillness of the house. The guard would be back this way in two minutes. Asami could reach the door in one.

Perhaps half that, if the Avatar could stop stumbling into her and giggling.

She careened into Asami's shoulder. "Why are we sneaking?" Korra asked, her harsh whisper almost catching the air. Late hours and rice wine did not mix well with the Avatar's constitution.

"Shh..." Asami latched onto Korra's elbow, avoiding the wall. "We're past my curfew."

The Avatar threw her a lazy grin. "So there _are_ rules you're scared to break."

Asami smirked back despite herself; Korra wore her drunkenness far better than she had the right to. Alcohol was only partly to blame for that swagger, though. The past few nights, Asami had managed to get Korra out of the temple and the bending practice room and into all manner of late-night high jinks. Sneaking into the arena for a swim. Distilleries and jazz in the docking district, tucked away from prying journalists. Tonight, they'd snuck in a few laps at the Sato testing track. Asami had even let Korra drive a little. In one of the older models, of course; Korra had taken to the speed well, but they'd have to practice using the break another time.

Mischief. Fun. The Avatar craved a little recklessness amid all that responsibility and pressure. Asami was more than happy to oblige. But now was the time for sleep. She'd insisted that Korra stay the night; trekking all the way back to Air Temple Island was not a smart move given how she was carrying herself right now. Or rather, failing to carry herself.

Footsteps echoed around a corner and Asami gripped Korra's arm, holding her still. Most of the security guards around the estate were her father's employees. Asami had known them her whole life. A few of them would even keep quiet if they saw her returning home in the dark hours of morning with a girl on her arm. But she'd seen strange faces stalking the estate on their way in. Some of the men were not Hiroshi's.

As they waited in the quiet, Korra slacked against a wall, rubbing at her eyes with a grin. It was late. She wasn't at her best.

Asami watched her quietly while the sound of boots faded away. It would not be hard to spot Amon's men. If she called out to one of them, they might stand a chance against the Avatar in this state.

 _No. Not yet._

She took Korra's hand and led them further down the hallway.

No one had pestered them at the probending arena the other night because Asami hadn't told anyone. When Amon - or rather, when Amon's lieutenant - found out about it the next day, he had berated her for cowardice. The Avatar had been defenseless, he'd said. Or worse, Asami had delayed their plans intentionally. Her loyalties were being questioned, but she knew she'd made the right call. Did they honestly expect to catch the Avatar in half a million gallons of water? And if Korra had managed to escape, she'd be locked in the Air Temple right now, surrounded by a hundred White Lotus guards. She'd never see the light of day again.

She tightened her grip on Korra's hand. Here, Asami could learn weaknesses, pressure points. She had an in; she was the Avatar's friend. Korra trusted her.

They reached the bedroom and slipped inside. Asami gently pulled her door shut, feeling every creak of the hinge in her anxious chest. She held her breath as it clicked shut. The hallway outside remained silent.

Korra wobbled around the edges of the room, grasping at every wall and piece of furniture she met. "Wow..." The bedroom was luscious; all silk and granite and finely carved wood. A grand four-post bed towered at the end of the room, stacked high with pillows and a feather-soft comforter. Her new goal. "This is...this is beautiful," Korra breathed, "...big."

"Thanks," Asami said, studying the lawn outside. No movement that she could see. She quickly drew the curtains.

So close to the bed, yet so far, Korra stumbled into a workstation of simple bare wood at the corner of the room. Her fingers slipped into a pile of wires, clinging for purchase. "What's this, all this about?" Korra asked, hiccupping. Electronic and mechanical parts were strewn across the table top, lovingly tinkered with.

"Something to keep my hands busy," Asami said, feigning a shrug as she stepped up beside Korra. "My dad wants me to keep the soldering to a minimum in my room, but there aren't many quiet little sanctuaries in the factories, and the offices are all the way downtown." Asami handled a metal box with electrical wires draping from the chassis. "Nothing like a few servos and cables to make a place feel like home."

Tucked at the back of her workstation was a thin metal tube about the length and heft of a crowbar. Asami eyed the makeshift stunner as Korra studied the other end of the table. Her design was cumbersome and less powerful than the equipment the Equalist soldiers carried. Hiroshi had vehemently denied her a chance to study one closer, so she'd had to improvise from memory and her own modifications.

"You keep surprising me," Korra smiled. She stepped from the station and Asami let out a quiet exhale. If it came to it, Asami could take off the safety couplings to leave the stunner humming at full, unrestrained power. It'd pack a punch.

But she'd seen Korra tear up stone with the same amount of effort she gave to breathing. Throw an arc of flame that could set the bedroom ablaze. Pull tidal waves with a brush of her hand. A small confined space like this was as dangerous a place for Asami as it was for the Avatar.

"There's a guest room the next door over, if you'd like." Asami circled the room, shrugging off her jacket and hanging it in the closet. "I'll drive you home in the morning," she lied.

A muffled thud came from the bed, and she turned to find Korra sprawled out on the mattress. With an exhale like the weight of world had just rolled off her, Korra sank into the pillows, grinning. "Sleep," she sighed, kicking off her boots and tucking pillows behind her head. When she finally settled, she let her eyes drift closed.

Asami gently sat at the foot of the bed. "You know, you're not what I imagined, either," she said quietly. She twisted the edge of the blanket in her fingers.

Korra inhaled. She'd already been drifting asleep. "Yeah?" she breathed, "What am I?"

Sweet. Fierce. All raw nerves and power. A force of nature. "I...would have thought you could hold your drink better," Asami said with a smile.

Korra chuffed out a laugh through her nose. It slowly quieted to only soft breathing.

"Korra?" No answer. Sliding up from the bed, she knelt down beside the mattress. "Korra." The Avatar's mouth had started drifting open. Asami rested a hand on her arm and gently squeezed.

"Hm?" She rolled over, bleary-eyed, and Asami's smile softened. Poor girl was fading fast. "Sorry," Korra yawned, rubbing at her face.

"It's okay. You should drink some water before you fall asleep, though. You'll be hurting in the morning."

"You're so nice," Korra mumbled, shoving half her face into a pillow. "Why are you so pretty...nice?"

A laugh bubbled up, but Asami held it back. "How about I go get you something to drink?" She gently tossed a braid out of Korra's eyes. "I'll be right back."

Korra nodded, and the room fell quiet again.

Standing, Asami held her breath for a long moment.

Had she done it, then? Korra was asleep. Impaired. Alone. This had been what was asked of her. Find a weakness. Exploit it, if possible. Deliver the Avatar.

To be the weakness itself, though; Asami had not expected this to move so quickly. What was she to do next? She could leave the door unlocked. She just had to call for them. Her father would come. Amon's men would come. They would have their herald of bender oppression. The Avatar wouldn't be able to fight them off in this state. They'd take her. They'd finally succeed. Then Amon would…

Then Amon would…

Asami watched Korra's chest rise and fall. Peaceful. The Avatar was supposed to be the symbol of everything wrong with the world. Not a girl. So young. Kind. Still finding herself. Her fears, her inexperience, her heart exposed for the world. Anyone could just walk right up and break it.

 _Power should be earned, not given by chance. When people possess power by genetic lottery, there will always be injustice. Inequality is injustice._

Hiroshi had drilled that truth into her. She'd lost her childhood to benders. Her mother had been taken because benders thought that they deserved control.

Silently, Asami stepped to the door. She could leave the room unlocked. She just had to call for them.

Korra was asleep. Vulnerable. A pack of toughs would rush in and-

Boot steps sounded from the hallway, and all the blood rushed to Asami's head.

She killed the lights in the bedroom and darted for the doorknob. She froze, her face pressed to the door. Listening as the footsteps got closer. They'd hear the lock if she tripped it. She had no time. Her eyes clenched shut as she followed the sound outside. She couldn't breathe. She was hiding behind inches of wood. It wouldn't stop anyone.

 _No, no, no. Please, not yet. I'm not ready._

She held her breath in the darkness. The steps grew nearer. Nearer. Asami looked to the bed, where Korra snored softly.

If they got in, they'd take her. Amon would take everything from her. Korra didn't deserve that. Didn't deserve any of this. Asami was her friend. Korra trusted her.

Sound faded outside, until all she could hear was her pulse pounding in her ears.

She gave it a long ten count before finally letting herself exhale. Hands shaking against the door knob. She flipped the latch and felt every ounce of energy drain from her.

What was she doing?

Counting four feet from the bed to the work bench, Asami guessed that she could reach the stunner in a couple seconds. If someone came through the window, she'd have less time to reach it, but they would also have less lay of the land.

Asami climbed into bed, slowly, tensely, taking a spot beside Korra. Her back flattened against the headboard. She stared at the doorway, her heart still beating through her chest.

With a half conscious yawn, Korra rolled towards Asami and found a comfortable spot pressed against her hip. The Avatar drifted back into deep sleep.

The warmth lulled Asami's panicked brain for a moment. She grabbed a fistful of blankets, focusing on the weight of Korra's body against her. It settled her. Sharp green eyes remained trained on the door.

* * *

She inhaled sharply as Korra rustled against her hip. Light peaked through the curtains. Asami's neck was an aching knot. She adjusted her back against the headboard.

"M...Morning," Korra groaned. Hands went straight to her forehead as she shielded her eyes with one of a dozen pillows surrounding her. Her voice muffled. "Ow."

Asami fought a smile. "I told you." Peeking out from under the pillow, Korra cast an exhausted smirk up at her.

Asami forgot to breathe a little. A moment of peace. Waking up to that smile. Those eyes, ice blue and happy.

 _I could get used to that._

Her chest tightened.

"Did you sleep?" Korra asked.

"A little," Asami lied.


	5. Pandemonium

"We're making a safer world," her father had promised as the screams had begun out in the stands, "A better world."

 _"For centuries, benders have possessed an unnatural advantage over ordinary people."_

Republic City was riveted to their radios with anxious, bated breath. Amon's words boomed through the probending loudspeakers and out to the world, his words calm, smooth, confidant. He had the whole city's undivided attention. Asami could see now how he was capable of swaying an entire army to his side.

 _"But thankfully, modern technology has provided us with a way to even out the playing field. Now anyone can hold the power of a chi-blocker in their hand."_

Asami gripped the railing of the executive box, staring out at the sea of panic. Bursts of light dotted the stands like camera flashes. While the crowd in the arena was in a frenzy, her eyes were locked on the platform below the pro-bending ring.

She'd seen Amon's lieutenant send a shock through the water. She'd heard their screams, and then silence. The Equalist had fished the Fire Ferrets out of the water, but the stage was now blocking her view. She couldn't tell if they were fighting for their lives, if they were in custody. If they were still breathing.

 _"My followers and I will not rest until the entire city achieves equality, and once that goal is achieved, we will equalize the rest of the world. The revolution has begun!"_

A shadow rumbled outside the arena's glass canopy for a long instant. The dome shattered.

Screaming filled the air.

"Asami," her father called, "It's time for us to leave." Four guards entered the room, ushering Hiroshi out into the hall teeming with fleeing people.

"ASAMI."

She flinched at her father's anger. Her fingers slipped from the railing as she felt a solid presence behind her. The bodyguard - all chilly eyes and muscle - gently guided her by the shoulder towards the door. Her throat closed up as they moved to join Hiroshi out in the hallway.

Then the stage exploded.

Everything went loud, and hot, and bright. They stumbled from the noise, and Asami spun back to the overhang. A thick black column of smoke rose from the stage. She couldn't see. Could only hear shouting and chaos. There was no sign of anything in the water.

 _No..._

The hand on her shoulder squeezed back down. She was pulled away from the balcony and shoved towards the door. Asami found herself surrounded by a cadre of burly men and Hiroshi. Shoulder to shoulder, she struggled to keep up with their rush down the hallway.

Faces blurred around her. She wrenched free of the guard's arm, shaking off his grip as she walked in step with her father and the suits. Out the back entrance to the executive suites, down a steep stone stairway. It wasn't a main entrance; it should have been clear for them.

But the crowd that had rushed the VIP lobby hit them fast. Hundreds of spectators, faces and hair painted in the Fire Ferret red and wolfbat black, swept them up into a current towards the doors. The guards cramped in around her, pressed by the weight of the horde. Bodies crushing each other to find an escape.

Hiroshi yelled something, but Asami couldn't make out the words over the shouting and thunder of feet.

"Down!" barked one of the guards, shoving back against the mob. Asami ducked against his shoulder blades.

Hands clawed up against the guards and a pair of young men took a flying leap over their shoulders, trying to climb over the crowd. Hiroshi's men drove forward to throw them back. For a moment, it broke their formation.

Her father snatched her hand as the crowd split them apart, but Asami stumbled forward with the guard's momentum. She lost her grip and hit the ground.

Her heart thumped against her chest. Panicked. Frozen on the ground. It felt like drowning; she couldn't breathe. A shoe struck her face and pain flashed at her mouth, shocking her brain into clarity. _Get up._ The wind was torn from her lungs with another kick. _Get up now or you're going to die._

Pushing up with all her strength, arms burning, she surfaced in the crowd. She gulped in cold air. Over the din, Asami swore she could hear her name. No sign of her father or the guards. The weight of hundreds of people, crammed together like fish: the crowd was a living breathing thing. It could crush her if she fought it. She waded through, following the tide.

In a haze of shouting and movement, Asami managed to squeeze out of a doorway, and she sucked in cold damp air. This side of the arena pier looked out over the bay. The crowd dispersed a few yards from the door, fleeing in all directions. Her eyes darted through the sea of faces, searching for her father's. For a moment, at least. Spectators around her had begun to stare out above at the arena's domed roof. She followed their gazes and saw a blaze flare out against the night sky.

At the sight of fire, something deep in her chest uncoiled. She let herself breathe for a moment. Wet dripped from her lips and she wiped at the slow stream of blood, her eyes locked on the roof, searching above for any other sign of life.

Another blast of fire, and something sailed off the edge of the dome, plummeting from the sky. People who had been watching the glimpses of the fight began to scatter. A dozen yards away from her, the body hit the concrete. Hard. Asami pushed through the mass of people towards it.

The Equalist's body was twitching. Arms and legs splayed out at ugly angles. Red stained the ground around him in a fine mist.

She inched towards the man, watching as his seizing slowed. Then it stopped. Her boot touched the side of his head, nudging it. Nothing. The line between life and death was so delicate.

Eyeing the fleeing crowd, Asami took a knee. Her hands shook, reflecting in green glass as she reached for his mask. It was snug around his head. She pried it loose from under his collar, pulling gently, and was welcomed by the bloodied, wide-eyed stare of a corpse. The warm glow of the arena lights washed him in a sickly yellow. He was barely older than her. His face mangled in an inhuman scowl. He'd died quickly, but terrified.

The impulse to run flared in her mind, but she fought against it, wrenching the mask free of its former owner. Treated leather and thick protective fabric. A splash of blood over where the mouth should go. Her stomach turned.

The crowd paid little mind to the body. They were too busy running. Screaming rang out in the distance. The hiss of electricity filling the air.

Asami's eyes narrowed on the glove clenched in the dead man's grip. Asami had never seen anything like it before tonight. It was beautiful: the mastery of circuitry, internal power source, the level of miniaturization needed to get the mechanics to fit around a hand. A little modification could make the tech even smaller. She could see Hiroshi's style everywhere in the aesthetics of it.

He'd kept this from her.

Shoving the mask into the deepest pocket of her jacket, she dropped her other knee and began unfastening the brass buckles around the wrist.

"Asami!"

Her hands froze against the clasp, her heartbeat pumping in her ears. Looking up, she searched the crowd. Mako shoved his way towards her.

"Mako!" She scrambled to her feet, catching Mako around the neck as he stumbled into her. Everything hurt, but she clung to him as firmly as he hugged her. "I saw you in the water," she managed out. Her throat felt ragged. "When he dunked the stunner in…" She lost her words, burying her face into him. He was warm. Alive. Winded and covered in soot, but alive.

"I'm alright," he whispered, holding her in the embrace and leading her away from the body. They leaned together against the wall.

More fire flashed from the roof with a loud, heavy woosh. Asami looked up. "Korra..."

"She went up with Beifong," Mako said. He lifted her chin gently. "You're bleeding."

"It'll stop," she promised, dabbing with the back of her hand. Her mouth fell into his. The air hitched in her lungs as Asami sunk into the familiar weight of him. She kissed him harder. Her bones ached.

"Ms. Sato!"

"Asami!"

She shut her eyes tight. _Go away_ , her brain screamed. Bracing either side of his face, Asami left a slow, gentle kiss on Mako's lips.

Her father's bodyguards stormed through the throng towards them. She heard Hiroshi before she saw him. "Asami! Are you alright?"

"I got turned around," she answered.

"She's hurt," Mako said, holding her steady by the arm.

"I'll be alright," she insisted again. "I saw people getting trampled. Have any healers been dispatched?"

"They're pulling our car up to the end of the pier," Hiroshi urged. He waved a guard to retrieve her. "It's time to go, before there's any more violence." Asami backed up a step as the guard got closer.

"He's right," Mako said. She glared up at him. "The police are handling it. The safest place for you both right now is home."

"Thank you," Hiroshi said, his tone bristling. Struggling to keep up his performance.

Mako kept a polite distance from her, but she held his hand firm. "I will come find you when things calm down," he said quietly.

She nodded, squeezing his hand before drifting towards her father.

"Be careful," Mako called, hustling back towards the arena, where more police were piling in.

Her father reached out for her shoulder, but Asami shook him off. She marched out ahead of the guards, offering Hiroshi only a moment's venom. "What do you think of your _safe new world_?"


	6. Company Lines

_Lies and definitions..._

 _(set during episode 7)_

* * *

 _"My father is innocent. Just because we're not benders doesn't mean we support those awful Equalists!"_

Asami's lies rang out in her mind as she watched Korra stomp out of Hiroshi's office, stalled but not defeated. Tenzin and the Chief followed her, ready to lead their own investigation of Sato Industries holdings.

She felt Mako still at her side, though. Reaching for her hand. It took Asami a moment to open her palm for him. "I should go see them out," Mako said. She nodded, leaning into a kiss to her forehead and following him to the door. She closed it behind him.

An afternoon at the test driving track. Friendly conversation. She'd had a good day.

Hiroshi turned on his radio and the evening news flooded the room. Asami stepped to his desk. "Korra's not even staying here," she whispered harshly, "How many times could Mako or Bolin have overheard you?"

Her father remained focused on an accounting book in front of him. The reporter on the wireless droned: ' _Another protest ended in _violence_ tonight, as Equalist and Council supporters clashed in the Ivy district, leaving it a maelstrom of property damage, fire, and injury. Republic City Police arrived on the scene shortly after rioting broke out…'_

With a heavy exhale, she turned to her father's drinks trolley.

"If the benders insist on setting fire to our entire city," Hiroshi said under the noise, "Then public opinion is going to sway sooner than any of us could have hoped."

"Sounds like there's plenty of swinging from both sides," Asami said. She poured a brandy into a short crystal tumbler.

"Excuse me, young lady."

Asami glanced back at him. "May I?" She asked, gingerly swirling the glass.

A moment passed before he nodded. "No number of angry civilians are a match for a few firebenders," he said, "People could be killed."

"There was no one planted in the crowd with those gloves?"

"Republic City is rising up on its own. Risking our soldiers risks the entire movement."

"Well I'm glad _our soldiers_ are out of harm's way." Asami toasted with her glass and took a long sip. The brandy had a smooth burn. Wiping a thumb along the rim, she smeared her red lipstick print.

 _'...while Chief Lin Beifong has said that she will not pull back on the Republic City police force's tactics against violence in the name of the Equalist leader Amon…'_

Hiroshi reached for his phone and spoke a number to the Sato Industries private operator. The radio continued blaring in the background, but Asami watched her father's lips. Heard the faintest hints of his voice. "Move up the timetable," he said.

She downed the rest of her brandy. "What are you doing?"

Her father ignored her. "No," he said to the other line, "The lot of them are headed towards the warehouses. The police will be watching all day. Get her alone, and finish this. Tonight."

He hung up. "I should never have put you in this kind of danger, Asami. I'm sorry."

"What are they going to do?"

"They'll take her quickly. Quietly," her father said. "We had contingencies in place." Standing from his desk, he reached out and gently took the tumbler from her. "I am so proud of all you tried to do for the cause." His arms wrapped around her for a heartbeat. "But this business is not for you."

He returned to his desk. To his paperwork. As if he hadn't just ordered an abduction. Without a word, Asami wandered out of the office. She fell back against the door, the brandy burning its way into her gut. The fire rose to her chest.

"I'm going with them to the warehouse," Mako called from the foot of the stairs. "Probably be back late."

Glaring a hole into the wall, she pushed from the door and hustled down the stairs. "Be careful." she yelled back to him. Too loud. "I'll see you tonight." Reaching his side, Asami grabbed his hand. She marched them towards the Staff Wing of the house. "I'm coming with you," she said under her breath.

"What?" Mako kept his voice low, glancing around as she pulled him into a hallway towards the garage. "Look, I'm sorry about Korra, but you don't have to-"

"If she's so hell-bent on proving that my father is an Equalist, I want to see what she finds." Underneath the driver's seat of Asami's satomobile would be a duffel bag. No one had discovered the mask, or at least, no one had said anything about it. Those in her family's employ knew not to dare touch her baby.

"I'll drive," Asami said, a storm of stiff brandy and absolute terror pumping through her veins.


	7. Ambush

_(set during season 1, episode 7)_

* * *

Republic City Police overturned every shipping crate, opened every garage, searched every factory in the city limits. Nothing was found out of the ordinary. The caravan packed up at the second factory, and Asami realized she had no clue where to even begin looking for a connection between her father and Amon. Even if she were hoping to find one.

Night was falling; the police would lose any sense of traction fast as it got darker. Four warehouses had proven to be completely legitimate operations. Hours and hours had been spent on their feet.

Mako and Korra were bickering in the distance. They had been at each other's throats all day. Undermining each other's suggestions, throwing glances and glares with each failed search. Asami couldn't hear most of the argument, but the word 'jealous' caught her ear. She tried to ignore it.

Words got sharper, more heated, and Asami stepped up to intercede. "Are we good?"

They stepped back from each other in a tense silence. Korra wouldn't meet her eyes, but Mako threw his arm over Asami's shoulder. "Yeah," he grumbled, leading them back towards the car.

At the roadster, Asami watched the police pack up their trucks. Mako blew a sharp exhale from his nose. "I'm sorry about all this," he muttered. "We're wasting everyone's time. Korra made a mistake and just doesn't want to admit it."

"I'm not mad at her," Asami sighed. In the distance, Korra was re-seating Naga's saddle, grimacing. "The whole city is staring. They expect Korra to fix this all by herself."

Sato Industries employees and Republic City detectives darted back and forth across the factory courtyard. Asami scanned their faces. Too many to keep track.

"You want to head back to the house?" Mako asked.

Chewing her bottom lip, Asami watched the frown deepen on Korra's face. The Avatar had found the truth, had made the connection she needed to stop Amon's crusade. But she stood alone. No one believed that Hiroshi Sato, man of industry and upstanding citizen, was in league with the Equalists and trying to overthrow the city. They'd sold their lies well.

Mako nudged her with a foot. "You okay?"

"Maybe...you should get out of the house a little tonight," Asami said. "Take your brother out to eat. I can make a reservation for you, get you in just about anywhere."

"What about you?"

"I can keep myself busy," she flashed at the corner of her eye; a warehouse worker had stumbled into Korra. "You've spent more time with me than Bolin since you moved in. I don't want to get in the way of family."

"You're never in the way," Mako smiled.

"Still…" Asami rubbed at her arms. Ahead, Korra was apologizing for the collision like it had been her fault.

Mako squeezed Asami's hand a little. "Your dad's that angry, huh?"

"Just give him some space," she said, kissing his cheek. "That's _my_ plan." Her smile was gentle, but her eyes stayed sharp on the Avatar. The worker wandered - or rather, fled - towards the police barricade, leaving Korra staring at a crumpled piece of paper.

After silently reading the note, Korra searched for the messenger. He had disappeared into a loading truck. Tenzin and Beifong were right behind her, talking low amongst themselves, but Korra said nothing.

Hiroshi's orders had been to ' _Get her alone_.'

The note must have instructed Korra to keep it to herself. The Equalists were dangling a carrot she couldn't resist.

 _Tell them_ , Asami prayed. _Be smart Korra, tell them_.

The Avatar shoved the paper into her pocket and resumed working on Naga's harness.

* * *

The mouthpiece in the mask smelled of old blood. Asami bit back the impulse to gag, focusing instead on the back of Korra's head. The late night was a bright sickly shade of green.

The warehouse stretched out like a labyrinth. Corridors wound around corridors. Asami kept her distance, silently watching from the balcony as Korra paced the factory floor.

 _Be present. Be patient. Take refuge in the crowd. Find your path in darkness._

Fifteen years of training had prepared her. Principles drilled into her, so that now she could trail an Avatar across a city without being seen. Watching from the shadows, though, _being patient_ : those were not coming easily. Slow, deliberate breaths through her mask were not bringing her heart down from her throat.

Asami ducked into an administrator's office at the slight twitch in Korra's shoulder. She couldn't risk being found. If the trap had been set, springing it early could cause chaos. Driving the Avatar out into the streets would risk civilian casualties. Asami would not have that on her conscience, too.

Slipping into a doorway connecting the next office, Asami found two emerald lenses staring back at her, unblinking, from beside a desk. The world went deathly quiet, and they both froze. Asami lifted her hands, palms out. _Easy, now_. Silently, the Equalist scout - he wore no combat glove - looked her up and down.

The unmarked jumpsuit would protect Sato Industries, the loose gray fabric would give her movement and hide her curves, but it wasn't perfect. In the dark, or with the monochrome green of the Equalist's vision, it might pass. The mask was the vital piece.

A long breath, then the scout shrugged at her, cocking his head a bit. _What are you doing in here?_ he seemed to ask. Asami shrugged back, pulse booming in her ears.

The soldiers would wait for a signal. Would Korra actually meet a dummy informant, or would they strike at her quick, with no fanfare? How did they plan to subdue her? What were the contingencies that Hiroshi had spoken of? There was no way to be sure how many Equalists were here in the factory already. How many were laying in wait outside.

The scout turned back to the door, watching Korra below. Strapped to Asami's back, her homemade Equalist baton dug between her shoulder blades with more weight than she would have liked. She didn't turn on the stunner function as she slipped it out of its sheath. Even fully charged, it only had enough juice built up in its battery cells for one good hit. Needed to make it count. She lifted it above her head to strike a blow to the back of his neck. If she kept it quick, she could recover from the noise and find another...

Her motion cast a shadow on the wall. The scout dove from her in the second of air time and Asami struck against the desk. A painful vibration hit her hands. Her gloves softened it to a sting, and she was back up swinging. _Too late for quiet. End it quick._ She lunged at his head.

The scout leapt and rolled, diving from her stunner swings. Too damn fast. Asami threw a kick at him and missed. He twisted on the ground, throwing out a leg to catch her. Asami slammed back against the wall, dodging the boot aimed at her solar plexus. The scout scrambled to his feet in time to see Asami charge, her baton raised. He slid back from the blow.

She pivoted on her boot and in less than a second had dove into his body, shoulder first. Fifteen years of training had emboldened her. Her opponent had no time to center himself, no time to react with so little space between them. In a sparring match, she would have aimed for the ground, bringing him down to grapple with. But with one hand gripping her stunner and the other clenching a fistful of his uniform, Asami pressed forward and rammed them both through the large window.

Glass shattered, and together they plummeted out into the alley below.

The fall was fast and loud. Asami hit the concrete and the scout cushioned her impact with a howl and the cracking of bones. Her mask had twisted, plunging her into dark. She took a heavy breath. Nothing happened. Asami's chest seized and she jerked away, finding her head pinned down.

The Equalist's fingers tensed around the pipes on Asami's mask, holding them in a vice-like grip. He groaned beneath her.

Asami frantically pulled at the mask. She couldn't breathe. She had to get out. Had to find air. Digging her boots into the man's legs, Asami twisted her body and yanked her face out. She rolled away from him, landing on her back a few feet from the shattered man. The stars were bright and spinning above, her lungs viced tight. Fifteen years of training had tempered her. _Let go of the tension_ , she whispered to her starving chest, _this will pass._

The air returned to her, cold against her bare face, and it was the sweetest thing she'd ever tasted.

Turning her head, she found the Equalist glaring at her, reaching out with a trembling hand. " _You,"_ he rasped out. His broken body crumpled into a coughing fit, and he moaned. Asami caught the shine of a blade in his bloody fist before he swung out at her.

Asami scrambled to her feet, kicking him in the head. The blow threw him back against the concrete, and the knife went flying. The scout scrambled backwards and glanced around, sucking in air. "IT'S THE SA-"

Asami's boot pressed into his throat, cutting off his air. "...gi...gir...rl…" he wheezed. She glared into the green glass in front of his eyes, stepping down harder. Cutting off his airway. His hands trembled against her ankle, losing grip. He couldn't speak if he wasn't conscious. Asami held her boot firmly against his windpipe, feeling him going limp. There would only be a moment more of struggle.

' _It's the Sato girl_ ,' he was going to say.

She took a slow deep breath as the man's entire body sagged. He was out.

If the Equalist woke up, he would call her out by name.

Asami would have taken another moment, would have hesitated for an instant more, if shouts and clanging had not begun to echo through the factory halls. She rocked her full weight forward onto his neck. Twisting her boot heel, digging in. Asami felt a crunch.

Debris fell from above, and the sound echoed in the alleyway. Her gaze shot to the shattered window, expecting a dozen green lenses bearing down on her. Amon and his soldiers did not suffer betrayal.

Shadows obscured the view, but after a moment, Asami found only the whites of Korra's eyes.


	8. Hands in the Dark

_Secrets bared..._

 _(set during episode 7)_

* * *

In her dream, Korra ran.

Jade green eyes and wild grins chased her through shadow. Claws pulsing with blue light reached for her. They smelled of burning skin. Of jasmine…

Flame, stone, and wind rose up to protect her, to drive them away. The shadows were too thick. She lost her way. The creatures howled at her heels…

Korra's back ached with a sharp pain. A claw had pierced her skin. Pulled her close. The snarls grew louder. Blue light filled her vision, closing in…

Until the pain fell away to warmth. Jasmine and green eyes, but soft hands, too. She wanted to fall asleep in it. Gentle fingers across her skin. Korra lay back and let herself get swept away…

Caresses turned to scratches. Clawing for her eyes…

Korra faded through the fog, and the sensation of hands on her face grew solid. Her body tensed, and she shoved weight away from her. Fire blazed from her arm in a wide vicious arc. A voice cried out, and Korra nearly stumbled off the bed. Pitch black surrounded her. Had those green, hungry eyes been real? She reached back, ready to send out another blaze into the dark.

"Korra, stop!" Asami wept, "Please!"

Cold and damp, her heart thudding furiously, Korra stared out into the darkness. She flicked her fingers and conjured a small flame, coating the room in a dull orange glow.

Asami flinched at it, stumbling up against a wall. "I'm sorry," she got out through sharp breaths. "Y-you hit your head…I was…trying t-to clean you up."

The flame receded as Korra's eyes adjusted. She wiped at a thick cut across her brow: stinging, wet to the touch. At the foot of the bed, a puddle of water grew where she'd toppled a bowl and washcloth. She swallowed hard, the lump scratching against her dry throat. Breathing was taxing. Talking was harder.

"What happened?" she rasped out.

Asami hugged her arms, sinking against the wall in a trembling heap. "You're safe."

"Are you crying?" Korra asked. Her vision was blurring, but she saw Asami curl herself up on the floor.

"They won't find you here," Asami whispered.

Korra slipped her feet over the edge of the bed, bracing her arms. Pain shot up to her shoulders. Every muscle ached like she had fought off the world. She pushed up to stand.

"You're still woozy," Asami warned.

The room spun, and Korra slowly lay back on the mattress, squeezing her eyes shut. Her brain felt unbalanced, thick with cotton worse than the rice wine hangovers.

Asami's quaking voice cut the silence. "Do you remember anything?"

Korra stared up at the shifting ceiling. She saw Asami's glares, her smiles. Her injured words. Playful touches. The guilt she'd sewn into Korra's bones. Her stomach tightened. "You lied to me."

Asami bit back a sob. "To protect my family."

"I was right," Korra muttered. Her body was heavy on the bed.

"That note you got, the informant or whoever you thought you were meeting, it was a lie." Asami hauled herself up, leaning on the wall. "A trap sprung by my father."

Korra tried to pull herself up by fistfuls of mattress. "We have to…have to warn Tenzin. Beifong…"

"No," Asami said. She almost stepped up to stop Korra, but hesitated. "We're waiting till morning. I don't know how many are still out there."

Arms burning, then giving way, Korra fell back to the bed. "Everything's heavy," she sighed.

"Sedative. Your shoulder blade's gonna hurt when things start to get clearer. Try to rest for a minute."

Sprawled out on the bed, Korra faded in and out. She remembered the fight. Asami in an Equalist uniform. The blood on the concrete. The way Asami had moved: swift, vicious. Trained like them. Korra had run from the window, and dozens of Equalists had charged her in the warehouse, their gloves hissing with electricity. Korra had tried to fight the soldiers off, but then everything had gone soft.

Opening her eyes, the ceiling began to sharpen. Korra turned her head to a heavy sigh at the window.

Asami kept her distance from the bed, peering out through a slit in the drawn curtain. Her breath hitched as she cradled her arm.

Korra remembered the blood on the concrete. The snapping of bones. "I saw you kill that Equalist," she said.

Green eyes never left the window. "He was a threat."

"He was a _person_ ," Korra snapped. "But you just stepped…" She swallowed hard and held her throat, fighting back the sense memory. "How could you just-"

"I won't let them take you."

Korra inched up in the bed, slowly sitting. "Them? You're _one_ of them."

"I thought that I was, too." Asami reached down for a pillow, tossing it to the bed.

Korra squirmed, shoving it behind her for support.

The room was small, tight. Unfurnished except for a bed and a table. It was still dark outside, but the city was quiet. It had to be early morning.

"You don't hate benders," Korra insisted.

"The world would be safer without them." Asami's voice was small, but sure.

"How can you believe that?"

"My mother-" Asami choked on the words. She shook them away. "Too many benders think they deserve control." She stood from the window sill and began to pace. "The Triads are dangerous. _Bending_ is dangerous."

"Am I?"

Laughter rang out. Spiteful. More tears fell as Asami brandished her hand at Korra. " _Especially you!_ " The skin was scarlet, lined with swollen blisters. Dark slashes along the palm revealed charred, exposed muscle.

Korra stopped breathing, unable to look away. The burns climbed all the way to the wrist. "Did I do that to you?"

Asami pulled the burned hand to her chest. "You were still foggy," she murmured. "You were scared."

"I'm so sorry." Korra reached out to her. "Let me see."

Stumbling back, Asami cornered herself against the door.

Muscles still throbbed, the room still wavered, but Korra swung her legs down the side of the bed again. She groaned to her feet, arm still outstretched. "Asami, stop. Let me see it."

Asami snatched a stun baton from the table. "Keep back!" she growled, thrusting the stunner at Korra with her good hand. It shook. Tears streaked her face.

There was a tense silence. Korra took a step forward. Waited. Then another. Asami kept the baton raised, threatening, but didn't move. Korra took a final step, pressing her collarbone against the tip of the stunner. She waited. "Let me help you," she said softly.

Asami's eyes, hard and red with tears, met her gaze. The baton went limp and she let it drop to her side, then the floor.

Inching through the dull burn in her limbs, Korra pulled a chair out at the table. "Sit down."

Sore and uncertain, they both slowly fell into seats across from each other. Korra reached for Asami's arm and gingerly held it. "Can you feel it?" she asked, turning the girl's hand around and studying the burns.

Asami breathed through clenched teeth. "Yes."

Korra nodded. "Good. It'd be a lot worse if you couldn't."

The table was only a few steps from the pool of spilled water, soaking into the rug. Korra grabbed the bowl and towel, tossing them on the table and extended her arm. A curl of her hand bent a thin stream of water out of the fabric. It steadily grew to a disk shape, a little bigger than a palm. Korra beckoned the water to her, spinning it in her hands.

They watched a dull blue glow slowly brighten between Korra's fingers as she channeled energy between Asami's chi and the water. Healing came naturally to the girl from the Southern tribe.

"It's going to burn at first," Korra said, taking Asami's injured arm in both hands. She coated the wounds in a flow of glowing water with one hand, holding steady with the other. Asami tugged back, gasping.

"Easy…" Korra slid her chair closer, bracing against Asami's shoulder. "It's okay," she whispered. Their foreheads leaned in to touch as they both watched the glow between their hands. "It's okay."

The Avatar's movements were confident, smooth. She barely grazed against the burnt skin, leading a trail for the healing waters to follow. Between each finger and around the wrist. Over and over. Asami held back a wince, then began to softly cry.

"Breathe," Korra told her. After a heavy, slow inhale, Asami breathed out and her eyes drifted closed. She was tear-soaked, exhausted, shaking: something had broken inside.

"You got me out?" Korra asked.

Asami nodded. She was silent for a long moment, watching their hands resting together on Korra's lap. "You're not what they said you were." Her voice cracked.

"What did Amon tell you?"

"I've never met Amon," she muttered, "I'm not…I just did what my father asked. Watch you. Get close. Help them find their opportunity to get to you."

"Is that what the warehouse was?"

"I had nothing to do with that."

"But you were there," Korra said.

"I followed you." Asami looked up. "Beat them back and brought you here."

And just as easily, the Avatar could have been in Amon's custody right now. "Thank you," Korra said softly. Her healing pattern switched to a rotation around Asami's palms, working on the worst of the defensive wound.

"We need to leave," Asami said, sucking in air. "Amon wants to make you an example. If he can't have the Avatar, he can't claim victory on the city."

Korra shook her head. "He'll hurt innocent people if I run."

"But he won't hurt _you_."

Images of Amon's threats loomed in Korra's imagination. Parading her through the streets. Publicly stripping her of her bending in front of the whole world. Proving he was as strong and mighty as the Avatar. Stronger.

Korra could hide. Let the world go on without the Avatar for a little longer. They'd been surviving without her before now, hadn't they? Which would Amon rather have? An Avatar who flees from her guardianship, or one he could put up on a chopping block?

"What?" Asami asked. Her expression hardened.

Korra tensed in her seat. The water's cycle had slowed to almost a standstill."Get the Avatar out of the city, get her out of the way. That would make things good and equal, wouldn't it?"

Green eyes narrowed at her. "Is…is that what you think of me?"

"How can I trust anything you say?" Korra demanded.

"After everything I've done?" Asami's jaw trembled as she held back a snarl. "I am losing my family by doing this. I am giving up _everything_. For _you_!" She wiped her face frantically, water splashing everywhere. Korra barely kept a grip on it, spinning it into a controllable spiral, back to its resting disk shape as the girl pulled away.

Asami took a deep breath. "Amon isn't making the world safer. He's ruining people's lives." she said. "I want to stop him."

Korra thought of Tahno, of all people. The terror that must have run through him as Amon ripped his waterbending away. How small he looked with his future destroyed. He wouldn't be the last, if Amon brought about his new world.

"Prove it," Korra said. "Go to the police. Turn yourself in."

"You don't think Amon has men in the police force?" Asami glared. "They'll kill me. They'll kill my father."

"If you tell Chief Beifong what you told me," Korra said, "she'd protect you."

Asami clenched her teeth, staring at a stretch of burned skin by her thumb.

"I can't let you go back to them," Korra said.

"My father keeps their work away from me. But I can get closer. Amon will want to let me closer if he knows I have access to you. I can help you. From the inside. You can take his entire operation out at once if you knew where to look."

The glow was fading as they sat there. Korra kept her momentum going, staring blankly at the water.

"You already know I can lie," Asami said. "Let me do this for you."

Korra held a steady motion with one hand, suspending the water. She reached for Asami's arm with the other, bringing her gently back to keep working the burns. The blisters had subsided, but her skin was a mean pink. Asami held her breath as cool water coated her burns.

"The other one saw your face…" _But then you killed him_ , Korra wanted to say. "Would they know that it was you who helped me?"

"I don't know," Asami said quietly.

"Is it safe for you to go back home?"

Another glare. "My father wouldn't hurt me."

This close, with the glow between them, Korra could now see a dark swollen bruise along Asami's brow bone and down her cheek.

"What happened to your eye?"

"I got in the scuffle when they prodded you with a sedative to slow you down." Asami looked up, a small smile fighting it's way to the surface. For a brief moment, there was a familiar shine in her eyes. Even the swollen one. "Even drugged up, you've got a mean right hook."

The fight had been chaotic. Korra thought she had seen a few of the Equalists throw punches at each other. By accident, she'd assumed. She couldn't have been sure in the blur of the moment.

Asami's hand was less red now. The skin had begun to grow over muscle. It would still take some time to heal over, but they could let it rest for a few minutes. Korra let the water slip into the bowl. Dipping her fingers into it, Korra rubbed dripping water between her own fingertips and thumb. It quickly began to glow. A miniature of her treatment on Asami's hand.

Muscles twitched beneath her touch as she lightly pressed on the girl's cheekbone. A thin blue glow trailed in the wake of her fingers as Korra ran up the corner of her eye, to her brow, along the edges of the occipital bone. Soothing the bruise, healing burst blood vessels.

They didn't speak. The more time passed in silence, the more fearful Korra was of what her next words would be.

Korra wanted to scream. Demolish the walls of this safe house and hunt down Amon before the sun went up. Beg Asami to admit that this was all a dream, and that she hadn't just put up a wall between them.

So she focused on the treatment. Avoiding Asami's eyes. Jade green like glass. Raw. Angry. Lost.

When the water had evaporated, Korra held Asami's cheek steady to check the color of the bruising. The skin was hot, but Korra's healing training wasn't surprised at that. The body had its own natural defenses for fighting injury; fevers were the immune system doing its job. The skin at her temple was already shifting from dark purple to green. Yellow would have been better, but they had time.

She felt Asami slip forward past her hand. Her breath warm against Korra's face. The air went still between them. Asami leaned in and kissed her.

Korra's hand stiffened against Asami's cheek. She parted her lips, just barely, not quite returning the kiss. Feeling the pressure of Asami's face against hers, the velvet of her hair. Her mouth was somehow even softer than her skin. Korra inhaled softly, catching a hint of cherry blossom lipstick, and beneath that, something entirely Asami.

Before eyes could close or another breath could be shared, Asami tore away. "I'm sorry." Hand raised to her mouth, she began to tear up again. She stumbled up out of her chair, shoving hair back from her face. "I'm sorry."

Korra grabbed her wrist before she could run. Held it firm. She didn't realize what she'd done until Asami bit back a shout. "I'm…I'm not done yet," Korra said gently. The burns were still warm. Still exposed.

Asami held her gaze for a long second, ready to bolt, but she slowly let herself be pulled back into her seat. Her face beet red. Korra reached for the bowl, swirling the water till the soft, blue glow returned.

Korra knew that the burn would sting for a while longer.

Then the pain would dull. Grow warm.

The only thing left would be the comfort of holding her hand in the dark.


	9. Good Works

Korra hauled herself back to her knees as she counted out crunches. A few dozen more to go before she was satisfied. Her shoulders and midsection burned, but she focused on the ache, the discomfort. Anything to avoid thinking about their third day of silence.

There had been no word from Asami, other than gently uninviting Mako and Bolin from the Sato estate on her father's behalf. Then nothing for three days now. Korra couldn't help fixating on every way that this 'plan' could be going wrong while she sat cozy on Air Temple Island.

Asami could be dead. Her father's men could have followed her and locked her up for saving Korra. Amon could have decided to take out her betrayal on father and daughter.

Asami could be at Amon's side now, laughing at how gullible and pliant the Avatar had been. How all she'd needed had been a few tears, some kind words and a rousing pledge of loyalty, a kiss...

"It's cold out here in the middle of the bay," Mako said from the doorway, hugging his arms. The lights of Republic City slowly brightened in the distance as the sun went down. "We don't catch these winds back home."

Tenzin and his family had been more than welcoming, letting the boys take up residence here on the island. As far as Tenzin was concerned, they were all in this together. One big happy family in one increasingly crowded home.

Flicking sweat from her eyes, Korra huffed out another sit-up. If not for her, the boys wouldn't be homeless. The pro-bending arena wouldn't have been invaded and nearly blown up in service of Amon's crusade. Her friends' lives were crumbling around her, and she was as close to stopping Amon as she was the first time she'd heard his voice on the wireless.

Stepping into the room, Mako tried to smile at her. She couldn't manage to look up. "I guess that's sort of the point of an _Air_ Temple," he mused.

Korra's muscles shook as she twisted herself to stand.

"Let me help." Mako offered a hand, his eyes kind. Korra met them and hated herself for avoiding him since he'd arrived at the temple. Mako was strong and sure, ready to take on every solitary Equalist if he had to. Determined to save the city that he loved and those he loved in it. Supportive when Korra felt like she was breaking down and ready to hide from Amon and his army. But he couldn't be prepared for the truth. He'd been completely played, just a means to set a trap for Korra. They had all been played. And yet Korra kept holding onto Asami's lies. For what? To spare Mako's feelings? To spare Asami's?

She found herself staring at his outstretched hand and gently took it. Hauling herself to her feet, she squeezed Mako's fingers. "Thanks," she murmured, slipping her hand from his and stepping to the window. The chill breeze across her bare arms and feet was a welcome distraction. It felt like being back down south. Her world had been small then. Simpler.

"How are you settling in?" she asked.

"Good," he nodded. "Everyone's been really nice. Really _quiet_. I'm almost afraid to talk out loud in the dormitory."

"Go find the kids if you need a little noise," Korra smirked. Despite the tension simmering across the city, the island was downright serene. "I for one am good with a little quiet," she sighed, "It's going to be hard to come by pretty soon."

They stared out at the sunset for a long while. No words between them.

"What's wrong?" Mako finally asked.

 _Your girlfriend is a spy and I want you_. "Tired," she said.

"This all isn't on you, Korra."

"The longer it takes to find Amon, the stronger his foothold on the city is."

"You've got them scared," Mako said. "Amon will make a mistake, and we'll be there when he does."

"Sure," she breathed.

Mako palmed her shoulder. "We're going to figure this out," he said, "All of us together."

Korra held the window sill, staring out at a city full of people who wanted her dead, or who didn't trust her to keep them alive. "There's so much working against us."

"Well the Avatar's working against _them_. I like our odds."

She turned and found Mako smiling down at her. Daring her to shake his confidence. She could do it so easily, too.

"Mako, I'm…" Her voice broke against the words. _I'm sorry. I've been lying to your face. You deserve to know the truth._

Korra stepped into his chest. Her arms snaked around his middle and pulled him close. "I'm glad you're here," she sighed. She breathed him in for a moment.

Mako wrapped his arms over Korra's shoulders, hugging her back. "Me, too," he said gently.

He was warm and steady, but a light knock on the door interrupted the calm she found in his arms.

"Is everything alright?" Asami asked.

Mako gently loosened his hold around Korra, and she slipped away from him as casually as she could muster. "Hey, stranger," he said, his smile growing.

Asami stood in the doorway in Sato racetrack fatigues, a leather pack slung over her shoulder. For a moment, Korra couldn't remember the scowl or the tears. For a moment, Asami wasn't an Equalist. Wasn't a liar. Just the girl that Korra couldn't look away from. Couldn't say no to.

It was just another mask.

Asami looked smaller — nervous, even — as Mako strode over to her and opened his arms. She let Mako hug her close and plant a kiss on her head.

"Hi." Asami's voice wavered.

He watched her eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked, leaning down to kiss her. Korra remembered how soft her lips had been. She concentrated on the paper walls.

When Mako pulled back, Asami seemed to take in every inch of his face for the briefest heartbeat. "I'm fine," she lied. Korra watched her hand grab a fistful of his jacket, clinging for a tether. "Bolin was looking for you out in the courtyard."

Mako nodded, stepping into the hall. "Don't go anywhere," he smirked, squeezing her arm before turning down the hallway.

And then there were two.

Asami stood in the door frame. Waiting for words. Korra knelt beside the bed and braced her arms down. She silently counted out push-ups. _Thirteen, fourteen..._

"You didn't tell him."

"I didn't think it was my place," Korra breathed. "It's _your_ lie."

She heard Asami step towards the bed and slide to the ground next to her. "I'm sorry I've been gone," Asami said. Her attention was fixed to the door. "I needed to be sure they weren't following me."

 _Nineteen, twenty..._

Rummaging through her bag, Asami pulled out a neat stack of dark clothes. An Equalist mask was tucked inside the uniform jacket. "I can't leave these in the house. I think Amon's people are sifting through my room." She shoved the makeshift Equalist garb back into the bag and slid it under the bed. "I'll leave them here, if that's alright."

"Fine." Another push-up and Korra huffed out a quiet "Twenty-five...twenty-six..."

Asami managed a smirk. "You don't have to keep showing off for me."

" _Stop doing that_ ," Korra snapped. Her arms shook beneath her.

The smile fell, and Asami went quiet.

Korra took a long breath to center herself. She dipped to the floor. "Stop acting like nothing's wrong."

"I'm on your side."

"What was Mako in all this?" Korra muttered.

Asami hesitated. "I care what happens to him."

"I don't know how to take anything you say." Korra glared at the floor, recalling the compliments and the invitations. All the lies she'd teased out in the last three days. The vague truths she was still parsing through. The glances, the flirtation. Asami's anger, her gentleness. Korra chewed her bottom lip, remembering the taste of cherry blossoms. "How can I trust _anything_ about you?"

Korra began her push-ups again, stewing in silence. See how Asami liked it...

"I met Amon."

Her hands faltered. Struggling into another push-up, she stared at a crease in a floorboard. "...are you okay?" she asked.

"He thanked me for my service," Asami said with a small, bitter smile. She fidgeted beside the bed. "It was terrifying."

"Did he know what happened at the warehouse?"

"I don't know. He said he wants me to keep monitoring you." Asami unfolded paper from the pocket of her bag, sliding it beneath Korra's face. Columns of times scratched out in smudged ink. "But some of his men kept following me around. I holed myself up in my room and I've been tracking them from the window. I've got a full view of the estate."

The paper was a detailed schedule of guard movements: physical descriptions, some with names, arrivals, final sightings, notes about any activities out of the ordinary. It was thorough, written in a scribbled rushed handwriting.

Korra dropped to her knees, fixated.

"My father has a workshop behind the house," Asami said, her fingertips frantically tapping on the floor. "He closes himself up in there for hours so he can draft schematics in peace. Last few days, there's been too much traffic going in. A few of his bodyguards, some of the technicians that visit the estate, but I've seen some of Amon's stationed men go in there, too." She pointed at a few empty entries in the column of time-stamps that was marked 'exit'. "These ones never came back out. I waited for days."

"What are they doing in there?" From here Korra could see the dark circles, the exhaustion Asami had tried to cover with makeup. Korra had been on edge for three days, worried and angry and frustrated, but Asami had been _awake_ for that long.

"I think there's another way out of that workshop," Asami said, "Underground."

"To where?"

"We know my father made the stun gloves. There wasn't a trace of them when you searched the factories because that's not where they're manufactured. He wouldn't leave himself exposed like that. My bet is wherever he's equipping the Equalist army, it's under the estate."

Korra snatched up the surveillance and groaned to her feet. Everything hurt. "Will you let me bring in Tenzin and Beifong now?"

"You'll want all the muscle you can get," Asami agreed, "Get everyone on the same page and we'll set a plan."

"We go in tonight," Korra said.

Asami frowned, lifting herself up with the bedside. "Amon said my father's newest weapon is going to win their war. We don't know what's down there. Let me go back. I can scout it out and report back."

"I want this over." Korra went for her boots and started hopping into them. "I'd rather you not be there."

"I can take care of myself," Asami glared. "My father made sure of that."

Hiroshi was a zealot. He'd die to protect his cause and whatever he was building down there to fight benders. Korra couldn't let his weapon be unleashed on the city. "Asami, if we can't stop him peacefully, if I have to-"

"If anything happens to my father," Asami said softly, "I should be there." Green eyes dimmed as the weight of her words sunk in.

Korra's trust had wavered, but that look had cracked through any mask Asami could be hiding behind. If it came down between her father or Korra, Asami had made her choice. She was giving up her world.

"Don't do this just for me," Korra said.

"I'm not. It's the right thing to do." There was a pause in Asami's breath, her resolve trembled. "It's the right thing to do, isn't it?" She searched Korra's eyes.

"You're standing up for millions of innocent people," Korra said. "You're the one making a better world. Not Amon. _Not your father_."

The smile she earned from Asami was quiet, unsure, but warm. It sent a flutter from her face down to her toes. Korra drew in a breath and crouched under the bed, shoving the leather bag deeper back. "If the Equalists trailed you, sudden trips to the Air Temple and back are going to raise some flags," she said. "Stay for dinner. It'll give you an alibi when you get back home."

"Thank you, Korra."

Korra made her way to the door, but turned when she felt Asami on her heels.

Asami stood close, breathing carefully. A silence hung between them, of words being clung to, of things unsaid. "Will you please...wait to tell Mako?" she asked.

"He'll know by tonight," Korra said.

"I know that." Tears began to well up. "I'm...just not ready yet." Asami's gaze clung to the floor.

Before she knew what she was doing, Korra reached out for her hand. All the pretense gone. They were all in this together, for better or worse. "I trust you," Korra said.

* * *

Asami had let her father's anger fester and infect her. Blind her to the reality of the world they lived in. Benders were not a problem to be solved; they were human beings. Her pain did not damn an entire population of people. Her mother would never have wanted this. Perhaps it was too late for Hiroshi, but there was still time to save her own soul.

Light had fallen. She hugged her knees, fighting the chill in the dormitory hall.

Tonight was the end of it. Either Amon's army would overtake Korra and the police, or Asami would face the fallout of her father's allegiance with the Equalists. Neither option filled her with hope for what the morning would bring. One of her worlds was going to implode.

They'd all know the truth. Her friends would have to decide if Asami was worth trusting ever again. Korra's words burned to the core of her, kept a glimmer of a chance for a life after all this. But the Avatar was _supposed_ to be compassionate, unbiased. Korra wasn't the only person who'd let Asami into her life. There were still plenty of hearts to break. Plenty of bridges laid out like kindling.

"There you are." Mako wandered down the hall towards her, peeling off his scarf and jacket with a wince.

"I wasn't sure which room was yours," she said softly. As Mako got closer, she saw the mud coating his clothes, and couldn't help a smirk. "What happened?"

Mako chuckled, scratching at a patch of slick black from his neck. "One of the air acolytes was scraping off muck and lichen from the far-side of the tower. Bolin thought pitching in would be a nice gesture. Just a way to thank Tenzin and Pema for putting us up."

 _Because my father helped destroy your home,_ she thought. Her chest twisted, and she could tell in his face that he'd noticed. Mako groaned, rubbing at his hair. "I'm sorry," he stammered, "I didn't mean anything-"

"It's fine," she said quickly. She nodded to a door across from them. "Which one's yours?"

Mako nodded to a room two doors down. She braced up against the wall and followed him inside. The easy quiet she'd always felt between them fractured under the weight of the next few hours. Mako would see her as a liar. He'd think that she'd used him. He'd remember every night they'd spent as nothing but lies.

"You staying for dinner?" he asked, sliding the door closed.

"That's the plan." Asami stepped into the room and stared out through the open window. Night had settled in. Their hours left were melting away.

A fundamental lie was not all there was. Asami was going to lose him and he'd never know that there had always been more between them. That she'd always wanted more.

Turning back to Mako, she peeled the soggy jacket from his arms and dropped it to the floor. She leaned into him and their lips met. A comfortable kiss. Familiar.

His hands fell to her back and he smiled against her mouth. "I'm not sure girls are allowed in here."

"Latch the door," she said gently.

Her eyes drifted closed as Mako inched them backwards. She heard the slide of the lock and she gripped the back of his hair, urging him back towards the bed with her. Asami's hands slid under his shirt. He shivered as her freezing hands stole his heat.

Mako glanced at the door as Asami pushed him to sit. "I think Pema said dinner's-"

She cut him off with another kiss. Heated. Rushed. "We can be late," she sighed. Asami tugged the snaps along her collar and wrestled out of the jacket. Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him tighter against her. The world could wait.

Asami couldn't find the words for this sweet man. She couldn't will herself to drop the game, and watch the damage the truth would do. She wanted nothing but the love in his eyes.

They clung to each other in the dark.

* * *

 _Thanks for your patience! Thoughts? Feelings? I'd love to hear from you all!_


	10. Truth Will Out

A barely conscious groan rumbled from the gagged policeman. "Sorry, pal," Mako tightened the ropes around his wrists. "We know you were just doing your job."

"Yeah." Bolin smirked, tossing the officer's metalbending harness into the far corner of the room. "Why don't you ' _just stay put until the Chief comes back_.' That sounds very familiar, doesn't it? Why? Because _you_ said it." He peered down the entrance to the underground lift, the smile flickering. Since they had heard the massive thunderclap echo up from the tunnel, Bolin's confidence had shaken.

Mako hauled himself to his feet. "Call the lift, Bo."

His brother trotted down the steps and slammed the recall button. Gears and machinery whirred to life, moaning and creaking as the mechanism pulled the lift back to the surface.

It was a small blessing that Asami wasn't here. She was so sure that Hiroshi was a good man. Mako already wasn't enjoying the prospect of telling her what they'd found. He could only imagine the harm it could have done if she'd had to watch her father's lies exposed.

He felt like a fool; he should have believed Korra from the beginning. He didn't want to believe it either, but here they were: The Equalists were making their move, his friends were in trouble, and they were about to dive into the lion turtle's mouth after them.

Their police escort began to struggle against his bonds, calling out through the fabric of his gag. Mako turned to the noise and followed the man's wide eyes to the workshop door.

His gut coiled into itself as he met Asami's grim stare.

Two Equalists flanked her on either side. Mako's lizard-brain told him to charge to her rescue. They'd kidnapped Asami, he thought in a panic, she was in danger. It took a moment for the rest of his brain to register that the masked soldiers weren't moving. They stood one obedient step behind her. Waiting.

"She's got a good ear," one of the soldiers said. He eyed the trussed-up cop on the floor, then returned his attention back to the two brothers.

Mako's eyes never left Asami. The woman he'd shared his bed with for months. Hours ago she'd been in his arms. Tonight, it had been difficult to keep her there; her mind had been somewhere else. Distracted, he'd assumed, with the accusations leveled at her family.

Her eyes had been sharp, but warm. They'd filled him with confidence, affection, a sense of home.

Now that green belonged to a stranger.

"What is this?" Mako asked, his throat straining to form the words.

"You weren't supposed to be here, Mako." She tightened her grip around a baton. It looked like a bulky copy of the weapon Amon's Lieutenant carried.

"Whoa Whoa Whoa!" Bolin sidled up to his brother, hands out. "Easy now, let's just all take a timeout and talk about this."

"No time for that," Asami said. She nodded gently and glided back as the pair of Equalists marched forward.

Instinct kicked in and Mako bounced on the balls of his feet. He focused the tight knot of rage in his gut. Felt the twinge of energy build under his knuckles.

Bolin blew out air and lifted his fists in a challenge. "You take right, I got the left," he muttered to Mako.

Behind the soldiers, the metal door's lock slammed shut with a clank. Mako caught a glimpse of Asami slinking back behind them. In a flash of movement, she lifted her knee and landed a swift kick into the tailbone of the Equalist on her right. The masked man stumbled, grunting in pain. She was back in motion before he hit the concrete.

The other couldn't turn in time, and Asami leapt onto his back, bracing her baton around his neck in a choke hold. This one didn't have one of those stun gloves like his partner, and he gripped the club with a wheeze, panicking for air.

Lumbering movement caught Mako's eye and he threw a sweeping arc of flame at the ground. The injured Equalist rolled awkwardly to dodge. The acrid smell of singed leather filled the air.

The standing soldier slammed his back into the wall, bashing Asami's shoulders against the concrete. She winced but stayed firm, tightening her hold. Another slam. She let go of the tip of her weapon and, with a flick of her wrist, blue electricity surged from the baton. The man's jaw clenched shut as the electrocution spread across his throat and collarbone. He crumpled to his knees, and Asami stood over him, huffing air.

Mako threw another fire burst at the Equalist on the ground. Asami didn't catch sight of the soldier as he scrambled up towards her. She threw up hands to block a heavy swing from his gloved arm. The impact sent her careening towards the wall. Another blow backhanded her face with the stun glove. Asami spun out and crashed into the wall. Blood splattered the stone.

Bolin stomped the ground, ripping up a chunk of concrete the size of his head. "Hey!" The soldier turned and Bolin thrust out with his forearm. The rock plowed into the Equalist's solar plexus and put him down.

Asami slid up behind the soldier, blood smeared under her nose and on her teeth, and got him in another choke hold. Bolin charged forward and threw a full fisted punch between his green lenses. The Equalist slumped in Asami's arms and she dropped him.

The room went silent. Still.

Gingerly dabbing at her face, Asami leaned down to the unconscious Equalist at her feet. Mako couldn't tell if the man was breathing. The other one lay crumpled at the door, still twitching from the electrocution. One step forward. Then another. Mako stared at the bleeding face of the girl he thought he'd known.

"You were with them," he said.

"They weren't supposed to be here, either." Asami muttered. She lifted his glove, studying it. He had caught part of Bolin's concrete rock with it. The power source was smashed. She frowned. "Bolin, toss me what's left of that rope, will you?"

Mako threw a hand up at his brother, and Bolin hesitated. He watched Asami abandon the glove and roll the soldier onto his stomach. "You're an Equalist." The word wanted to be spat out.

She avoided his eyes. "Not anymore," she said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Asami turned to Bolin instead, waving her hand to keep him moving. "If we don't get these men tied up they could kill your cop friend here. And we need to be downstairs."

"She's right, Mako." Bolin stepped past him and gathered up what they hadn't used to tie up Beifong's officer.

How in the world was Bolin so calm about this? "She could be leading us right into an ambush!" Mako shouted.

"I am," Asami grunted, wrapping a knot around the Equalist's arm. "It just wasn't set for us."

His brain was cracking up. This wasn't happening. What if she was stalling for time? The door was sealed and locked. Was it to keep more guards from reaching them, or to keep Mako and Bolin inside so that they could be collected?

But she'd gone after the Equalists like a prize fighter. Mako had never seen that fury in her before. And here she was, tying up Equalists, bleeding onto the floor and acting like she was built for this.

Asami secured the soldier's arms behind his back, moving on to his feet. "Can you get the other one?" She tossed Bolin the rest of the rope and took fistfuls of her soldier's boot laces. She began to knot them together. "Look, I didn't know any of this was a trap till those two goons showed up. I'm improvising here. I don't know any more than you do."

"So that was what the big boom was?" Bolin asked, finishing a quick knot. He hauled the Equalist into a corner and propped him up.

She blinked at him. "What big boom?"

"Downstairs," Mako said, following as Asami made a break for the tunnel and the grinding of the lift.

The machinery was slow and steady. The lift still had a ways to go before it reached the top. "We don't have time for this." Shuffling down the steps, Asami hit the recall button. Machinery halted, and creaked, and groaned, reversing direction. The lift was far too low to step onto, and was steadily shifting downward.

"What are you doing?" Mako yelled from the top of the stairs.

Asami leaned forward, letting her foot gently slip off the landing. She disappeared from the ledge.

He lunged for her. "Asami!"

At the bottom of the steps, he clung to the safety railing, watching as Asami slid dozens of feet down along the smooth gutter between machinery tread. She hopped and stumbled onto the lift. A second or two, and she managed to her feet. "Are you coming?" she called.

Bolin slapped Mako's back. "You clearly have a type."

Mako held his tongue and stepped to the ledge, waving his little brother to join him. The drop was only getting more dangerous the longer they waited.

Deep breath. Mako pushed off from the landing and slid downward. Faster and faster. No control, nothing to hold on to. Asami and the lift got bigger and bigger as he bore down on them. He jumped too early near the edge, hitting the top of the lift with a rough slide. Asami caught his arm and tugged with her full weight. He skidded to a halt on the metal floor.

Mako twisted away from her. "This is insane." He took a seat against the railing, tucking his head into his knees. His lungs burned.

Bolin came up quick and took a rolling leap onto the lift. He latched onto the lift's controls, steadied himself on his hands. He caught his breath and stared at the ground.

A shudder went through Asami's body as she touched her nose. It was swelling fast. The bleeding had stopped, though. Exhaling slowly, she crouched at the edge of the lift, watching their descent. "I have no idea what's down here," she muttered. "I told Korra she needed to be careful, but she just dove in head-first." She finally glared back up at Mako. "I also told her not to bring you. But you pushed her, I'm sure." She spat blood down the tunnel.

Mako pulled his head from his lap. "Korra knows?"

"Of course she knows. I'm the one who fed her the intel about the factory."

"And we're supposed to take your word for it?"

"Ask the two upstairs," she glowered. "I was supposed to monitor the Avatar. I couldn't go through with it anymore. Korra found out about my mission, and so we changed it. I kept an eye on my father, and that's how I found out about this place."

Bolin chewed a thumbnail with deep concentration. "So you're like a secret double-agent spy." His chest puffed out dramatically. "Staring down the face of evil while masquerading as a bad guy. That is-" Mako Asami and Mako both glare at him. Bolin's voice dropped a few decibels. "-I'm not helping. How 'bout I just let you two hash this out."

"You've lied to be from the moment we met. This whole time, you were trying to overthrow the city with your father!"

"I made a mistake."

"They kidnapped Bolin! They tried to take his bending! You were gonna live with that? Pretend like you had nothing to do with it?"

"I didn't," Asami snapped, "I'm not some high-ranking mastermind of the movement. I just did what I was told! And the only things I managed to do were protect Korra, and _hurt you_. I'm trying to make up for that."

"The lady makes some salient points," Bolin chimed.

" _Bolin_ ," Mako snapped.

"What? We want to stop Hiroshi's weapons, and she's trying to help."

Mako scowled at the back Asami's head. The burning in his chest grew hotter. Heavier.

She crouched at the ready, watching them slide deeper underground. So cool and collected. A war-hardened soldier. The only thing separating her from the men upstairs was the mask. Then again, it didn't seem like she needed one. "When this is over-"

"I know," Asami said. She glared down into the darkness below. "How about we not die, first. _Then_ we can break up."

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! Thoughts? Feelings? Comments?


	11. Disavowed

_set during season 1, episode 7_

* * *

Korra's world went cold, loud, and dark.

As her mind sifted through the numb fog, she clutched at the concrete beneath her. A vivid pain flashed through her body, weighing her down. She lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes, but the blur drove her face gently back to the ground, where she felt solid. Trucks revved in the distance, their rumble echoing through the stone.

Warm hands took her by the arms, pulling her up from the ground. "I've got you," Mako whispered.

Korra felt the weight of her body being hoisted onto his back. Her fingers flexed, struggling to grasp at his jacket. She swayed with him as he inched forward. She was no use like this: fighting consciousness, worn ragged. Korra took a slow even breath, and waited as the room grew brighter, clearer.

Half a dozen of Hiroshi's mechanical tank suits were lined up where the trucks had been parked. The police force who'd joined the investigation were on their way to Amon, no doubt. If they didn't find a way to the surface, they'd all be next.

Nearby, Bolin saddled himself with Tenzin, and the brothers each hauled towards Chief Beifong, sprawled on the floor. Korra gripped Mako's shoulders as he leaned them down to take an arm. They needed to be quiet.

"Not so fast, boys." Two figures blocked their path. Gone was the the mild-mannered businessman, or the loving father. Hiroshi Sato's eyes were wild, triumphant. A stun glove on each fist lit up with the hissing blue glow of electricity. Beside him, Amon's Lieutenant sneered, his stun batons at the ready.

"Hello, Mr. Sato," Bolin grinned nervously. "Wow! What a really swell, scary factory you have here under your giant mansion."

Mako squeezed down on Korra's legs. She struggled to return the pressure. "Sponsoring our team," he growled, "Supporting the Avatar. It was all just a big cover."

Hiroshi's lips curled into the mock of a smile. "Yes, and the most difficult part was watching my daughter traipse around with a firebending street-rat like you!" Clenching his fists, the gloves flickered to life again. The heated tension of lightning filled the air as Hiroshi and the Lieutenant marched towards them.

Arms and legs weighed Korra down as heavily as if stones were tied to them. Mako tensed, digging his feet in as he adjusted his hold on her. Lifting her head to glare at the approaching attack took more effort than Korra could muster. She didn't know his plan—if he had one—but it clearly didn't include putting her down. Korra fidgeted in his grasp, trying to slip off, but Mako held her harder.

"Dad, stop!"

Another crack-hiss of electricity joined the others. Korra looked up and found Asami standing between them and Hiroshi. She brandished her stunner at them, glowing with a vicious blue.

The Equalist Lieutenant studied her up and down, unimpressed. "Productive evening," he chuckled. "We've caught the Avatar _and_ our leak."

Hiroshi's confidence flickered to something sadder. "I had hoped it wasn't true."

"Stop this," Asami demanded. She leveled her weapon at her father's eyes.

A surged flickered through the baton, and it's light sputtered and died. Silence hung taut in the air. Asami eyed her invention, flicking its power switch off and on again. It was dead. She flexed her back and shoulders, preparing to defend a strike with the bare metal that remained. Korra had seen firsthand that even as a simple club, it was deadly in Asami's hands.

"After all we planned," Hiroshi said, "How could you turn your back on me, on everything we had hoped to build together?"

The feeling started returning to Korra's limbs. Patting Mako's back, she gently eased off of him, clinging to his shoulders for balance.

"Forgive me for not seeing this sooner," Hiroshi sighed, "I should never have let you slip this far. I can't lose you, too."

"Can't you see the damage you're doing?" Asami shouted. She glanced back, her face battered and bloodied. She had battled her way down here. Asami visibly exhaled when she found Korra standing up mostly on her own. "They've done nothing wrong," Asami said, holding her gaze. "They're good people."

"Their kindness does not make them right, Asami." Her father ventured a step towards her. Asami gripped her baton and threatened him with it. "The boy was raised by the Triads," Hiroshi hissed, "He learned their fire. The same men who took your mother, the love of my life. _They burned her_." His words stung with decades of bitterness.

Still standing guard, Asami's entire body trembled. With fury? With fear? Was she crying? It had never felt like Korra's place to ask how Asami had lost her mother. It was little wonder now why she had taken to the Equalist cause so young. Why she'd been all too keen to manipulate Mako to find an advantage.

"And his Avatar?" Hiroshi spat. "She could never know your suffering. She doesn't protect the people of this city. She protects _her_ people. That's the Avatar you place your trust in? That's the Avatar you _kill_ for?"

"I'd do it again." The trembling had not yet reached Asami's voice.

"They've ruined the world!" he bellowed. Asami flinched back.

Hiroshi inhaled slowly. For a moment, the familiar tenderness in his eyes rose up through the rage. "But with Amon we can fix it. We can help people like us, everywhere!" He unfastened the stun glove on his right hand. Sliding it off, he reached out and offered it. "Join me, Asami. Please."

Asami had frozen where she stood. Everyone waited.

A pit grew in Korra's stomach as Asami stepped towards her father. Her weapon slowly lowering to her side. She reached for the glove and let the baton fall to the ground.

The glove slipped on Asami's hand as easily as if it had been crafted for her. She studied the weapon, turning her wrist. Electricity flickered as Asami clenched her fist. Testing her gift.

Korra felt Mako take her hand. He held it firm. The next thing they could be doing was fighting for their lives. She risked a glance up to him, and though Mako didn't turn, she saw a flutter of resignation break through the anger he'd been holding onto. There were things that needed to be said. Korra gripped his hand back.

Asami reached for her father, resting the glove on his chest.

"I love you, Dad."

A crack-hiss rang out, and Hiroshi wailed in pain.

Her father hit the ground as the Lieutenant charged. Asami let out a swift kick to his wrist and the baton jolted from his hand. Latching onto his other arm, Asami used the Equalist's momentum to swing him around. She rammed the remaining stick into his chest. Korra didn't see her flick on the power switch, but blue light shocked through the man's torso, and he let out a wordless shout before collapsing to the ground. The shock fried the baton's power supply and it extinguished as Asami threw it away.

"Whoa." Bolin gaped at the scene with his jaw to the floor. They all did.

Asami looked up, shaking with tears and adrenaline. "Go!" She pointed out to the tunnel entrance that Bolin had burrowed out from the concrete flooring.

"They took my men," Chief Beifong groaned from the floor. She wobbled to her feet with a glare towards the mecha tanks.

Mako grabbed her arm and urged her towards the escape tunnel. "Live to fight another day, Chief. We gotta go."

Beifong grimaced. Siding up to Bolin, she helped steady Tenzin, still unconscious, and they headed for the exit.

Sudden blasts of canonfire made them flinch. Over their heads, a pair of grappling claws lashed out towards Asami. The girl dove dodged the first claw's grip as it struck the ground in a cloud of dust. The second claw that lunged forward caught Asami by the arm and flung her back.

She smacked against the massive platinum wall with a bone-crushing thud. The claw retracted and snapped back with viper swiftness, and Asami plummeted to the ground.

"No!" Korra lurched forward, but felt Mako's hand grab her and hold her.

"Korra, no! You don't have time!"

" _Help me, then_!" She shoved away from him, stumbling into a sprint towards Asami.

She saw Beifong lowering Tenzin down into the tunnel as machinery roared louder. The mecha tanks spun on their tread towards the wall and more blasts rang out as electrified bolas whirred towards them. Bolin slammed a foot to the ground, ripping up stone from the floor and casting a wall out in front of them. The weapons clanged against the stone and petered out limply on the floor.

Korra slid to her knees. Asami was out cold, her arm twisted at an ugly angle. All the damage hadn't been easy to see till now: her eyes were swelling, scratches and slices covered her neck and chest, blood smeared with tears, sweat, and dirt across her face. Korra didn't dare touch her.

Mako huffed to the ground beside them and reached out to lift Asami up. "They're coming up fast," he shouted.

Korra tucked her head under the girl's arm and watched Mako as they lifted together and hustled for the tunnel.

In the sway of their movement, Asami jolted awake, crying out.

"Faster would be better!" Bolin hollered. One by one, he kicked up a row of stone pylons from the stone of the floor, staggering them along the path to the tunnel to block and slow the mecha tanks' advance. He shoved more of his weight against the wall he'd just erected at the tunnel entrance. His stern motion trudged up more and more stone to reinforce the wall.

"Push through," Korra urged gently, picking up the pace. She could feel that the shoulder draped over her was dislocated. Asami could barely keep up. They slid her along with them as smoothly as they could with Korra still finding her legs and the clamor of mechanical tanks bearing down on them.

They made it to the chasm in a few panicked heartbeats and Mako braced against Asami's full weight, letting Korra break free to leap down into the tunnel. She reached up over her head to catch her.

The crashing of metal on stone blared around them. The tanks were blasting their way through.

Mako eased Asami down into the tunnel. Her mouth open in a constant gasp, she reached out for Korra and fell into her arms.

Bolin fell to his knees and slid down into the hole. Flinging sweat from his eyes, he made one last mighty thrust out with his arm, pulling and tearing at the barrier he'd built above them. The rock cracked and shifted. Coating the tunnel entrance in a controlled landslide.

Booming echoed through the stone as the mecha tanks pounded against it.

Korra held her breath for a moment, cradling Asami's broken body as her world returned to cold, loud, and dark.

* * *

Jutting the shoulder back into place made a loud crunching pop. Korra held Asami's arm firmly as her eyes roll up into her head. "How does it feel now?" she asked.

Asami nodded heavily, her eyes clenched tight. "Better," she breathed, pushing back tears.

The dull motor of the police airship filled the room. It was a gentle thrum compared to the blast of mecha tanks and the gravelly roar of tunneling stone.

Korra inched closer on the bench, gently tucking Asami's arm back into her sling. She couldn't assess it completely, but Asami likely had a couple bruised ribs. Maybe fractured. The blood in her mouth had worried Korra, but it had turned out to be a few bites she'd made herself hitting the ground a few too many times. The shoulder was the worst of the pain, for now. She'd start feeling the broken nose soon. The clandestine mission to the Sato estate hadn't included bringing along enough water for healing procedures.

"I'm sorry I can't do anything for the pain," Korra said gently. "I'll get you all patched up back at the Air Temple."

Asami shrugged, staring at the floor. Her eyes were dead stone. "It's fine. They have healers at the police station. You have a lot to handle right now." She fought trembling in her hands as she brushed the purpling bridge of her nose.

"I don't mind." Korra reached out to stop her hand. She was going to make it worse.

Asami tugged away. "Don't." As though Korra had caused her pain by merely being near her. There was a hairline crack in her expression. She swallowed back a gruff sob. "Everything I touch burns away."

Korra gripped the edge of the seat and leaned into Asami's gaze. "I'm still here," she said.

Asami scowled. "Maybe you shouldn't be."

After tonight, Asami deserved every ounce of trust that Korra could give, and she would give it gladly. But there were fresh wounds that the girl needed to work through. Old ones that needed to scar over again. Korra knew there was only so much that she could do for Asami if she refused help.

"I need to be alone," Asami managed out in a rasp.

Korra nodded quietly. "Okay." She lifted a hand to find Asami's, but thought better of it.

At the opposite bunk, Tenzin stood over Chief Beifong, watching her rest in an uneasy silence. Korra stood from Asami's bench and stepped behind her teacher. Rested a hand on his back. She could feel the muscles in his shoulders tense, but he exhaled at her touch. He offered her a somber smile, which she returned.

Far across the room, Mako was staring down at the estate and mountainside shrinking in the distance.

"Double-crossing her father doesn't suddenly make her trustworthy," he muttered.

Korra sighed, taking a spot at the railing. She glanced back at the bench. Bolin had taken a spot on the floor in front of Asami, his legs folded over as he spoke quietly up at her. A small, genuine smile flickered on Asami's face for the briefest of moments. Maybe things could turn out alright.

"At some point, you're going to have to talk to her," she said under her breath.

"I have nothing to say."

"Asami gave up everything tonight. She saved my life. All of our lives. She's earned my trust."

He glared into the darkness below. "Would I have even met her if Amon hadn't ordered it?"

"Mako, I know she hurt you, but-"

" _She lied to us for months_ ," he snapped, his whisper harsh and pointed. "And I didn't see it. I was an idiot. I thought she cared about me."

"Asami cares, Mako. Hiroshi tried to fill her with nothing but hate for benders, but she fought back. Exactly because she cares."

"She didn't care until you figured out what she really was."

Korra's eyes went hard. "No. She made her choice before I knew anything about this."

"What if you hadn't found out?" Mako stepped closer. His eyes were red and misty. "We've spent weeks feeling guilty. Like we'd done something wrong. When she was the one who-" He stumbled over his words, swallowing hard.

"She stole time from us," Mako murmured, his voice hoarse. He stared at the ground. "This whole time, I could've…" His hands balled into fists, shaking.

Korra reached out, holding his wrist and steadying him.

"…I could've been with you," he said softly. Looking up, he watched her search for words.

The night of their kiss replayed in her mind. Korra had bared her deepest insecurities in front of him. She'd told him how she'd felt and had been rejected because he had wanted to stay faithful. Korra hadn't liked it, but she had respected his request.

They had crumbled apart before they ever had a chance because of a wall that had been built between them. One they hadn't chosen to create.

When she couldn't gather anything coherent together, Mako turned back to the window and watched the lights of Republic City as they grew brighter. "That's a lot to forgive," he whispered.

* * *

 _Thanks so much for reading! More to come!_

 _Thoughts? Feelings? Comments?_


	12. Team Avatar

**Police Airship**

 _(season 1, episode 7)_

* * *

"I need to be alone," Asami managed out in a rasp. Ache pulsed down her arms, through her chest. What she'd meant to say was _'Korra, you need to stay away from me.'_

Korra nodded quietly. "Okay."

She watched, and felt, Korra's warmth leave her side. Somehow every muscle in Asami's body began to throb harder, the pain soaking in deeper. Had she been standing, it would have made her knees buckle. Asami looked up from the floor. The motion rotated her tender shoulder in the sling, shifted her ribs around. She lost her breath at the pain of it. She kept her head down, maintaining a sort of pain equilibrium in her body. The more still she was, the less everything hurt. The less she could see everyone in the room. Watching her. Blaming her.

Bolin's feet inched into view.

"Does it hurt much?" he asked.

Asami swallowed, barely shaking her head. "I'll be fine. If I stay still and don't move my head, it's not too bad."

"Then you're way tougher than you look," Bolin said. He slid down to the floor in front of the bench, folding his legs underneath himself. "With those moves back there? That was amazing! And, uh, you know, _scary_." He threw his hands up. "I mean that in the best way, though. I don't know many pro-benders who could take a hit like that and then deal out even worse. If they ever start a pro _non-bending_ league, I'm putting all my yuans on you."

She found a gentle smirk on Bolin's face. Asami tried to return it. "I think that's just called a fist fight," she chuckled. Pain tore through her chest. She winced as air left her lungs and they viced shut.

"Easy." Bolin got up on his knees, holding tight to her good arm. "Are you gonna be okay? What can I do?"

"Stop making me laugh," she wheezed. Her eyes began to water.

Bolin sighed with more drama than needed. "Alas, resigned to a fate of constant agony, then."

She fought to hold her smile. The air came back slowly the less she moved. Her throat was raw. "I thought that you'd hate me." The words fell between tears.

"Mako's wrong," he said. "You didn't know any of us when Amon tried to take my bending away. How could you have stopped it?"

"Korra and Mako made a scene when they tried to save you. It's why the Equalists sent me." The truth of her mission turned sour in Asami's mouth. She grimaced through it. "You two were a weak spot."

Bolin slowly lowered himself back onto the floor to find her eyes.

Asami swallowed, keeping her breathing shallow. "When my father told me you two were raised by Triads, that was all I needed to know. I didn't ask any questions."

She watched Bolin choose his words. "Hiroshi said...they hurt your mother?"

A trembling smile found its way to Asami's lips. "She used to sing." Memories of her mother could outshine almost anything. Except for what came next. The smile flickered out. "Triads torched the club she was performing in," Asami said.

"I'm sorry," Bolin murmured.

They were silent for a long minute. It was a kind gesture, but it was more for themselves than for her mother's ghost. Asami looked up, barely able hold the boy's gaze. "The moment we met, I knew my father had made a mistake. You don't have cruel thought _in_ you."

"You didn't want to lose your family," Bolin said. "I can understand that."

Bolin had lost his parents at an even younger age than Asami. And now, she had willfully rejected her own father. She'd chosen to tear her family apart.

"Mako was right. When Amon started taking people like you, innocent people, that should have been the line for me."

Bolin frowned. "Triads are people, too. A lot of them are just stuck in a bad situation. They're scared and desperate, or they don't have anywhere else to go."

"Of course," Asami grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"Mako got involved with them to keep me safe. He didn't like the collateral damage he caused, but he didn't want me to grow up on the streets anymore. It was like a home, for a while: We had food, a place to sleep. People looked after each other, as long as you were one of them. It was almost a family, you know?"

Asami nodded silently. In a few short weeks, her world had shifted to every shade of gray. It seemed reasonable that things weren't as simple as The Triads vs all decent people ever.

"I was too young to know any better," Bolin continued, "Mako got himself picked up a few times by police, but if he had ever gotten put away…" Bolin glanced over to his brother, quietly seething next to Korra. "...Mako didn't want to leave me alone with them. He snuck us out in the middle of the night. We went back on the streets. It was hard for a while, but neither of us regret picking the honest path over the comfortable one."

Bolin reached out for her hand and squeezed it. "Neither should you," he said.

"I should have left sooner," Asami sighed. Another twinge coiled out from her chest.

"What matters is that you did," Bolin said.

Asami watched tears fall onto the metal floor beneath her. "I'm so sorry, Bolin."

"Don't start crying," he warned, smirking. "I bet that hurts as much as laughing."

"Yeah." She strained the word out. "Can you...sit with me for a while?"

Without another word, Bolin hopped up from the floor and sat down on the bench. A polite few inches between them.

Asami turned her head to the boy, and instantly regretted in. Her body froze in spasms of pain. She clamped her eyes shut as she eased her head back into her default stare at the floor.

Bolin grabbed her hand again and held it through the pain. She squeezed back.

When they arrived back at the police station, Asami found herself surrounded by strangers. Prodding healers, policemen with questions. All through the night, Bolin never let go.

* * *

 **Air Temple Island**

 _(season 1, episode 8)_

* * *

Asami traced the smooth skin along her nose, where the bruises had once blossomed across her face. Where metal and fists had drawn blood. Her body, broken and beaten hours earlier, held a soft warmth within it. Fueled by waterbending healers who wielded the magic of the world. If it weren't for the weight in her chest, she could almost pretend that none of last night had happened.

Her room at the Air Temple was small, simple. Its window didn't face the city skyline her father had helped to raise and now wanted to control. It looked out to the open sea. Blue waves and clear skies stretched out for miles before they fell beneath the horizon. Asami imagined herself at the center of an infinite ocean. The salt on the air and the wind in her chest. Her eyes drifted closed. She breathed it in.

A heavy thud came from the hallway. Then scuffling. Panic rose in her chest—a new, constant impulse she'd discovered. Asami bolted for the stun baton on her bed. Defunct, but still of use. She held the weapon aloft as she crept to the door. Silent and swift, like her teachers had trained her. Like her father had expected of her. She slid the door open.

Suitcases flooded the hallway in columns. Korra crouched over a stack that nearly rose up to her waist. How had she managed to get this all so close to the door without Asami hearing before now? Glancing up, Korra flashed a smirk at her that sank into her skin.

"Uh, hi." Korra eyed the baton.

Two seconds ago, Asami had been ready to bash in a skull. She took a calming breath and rested her weapon at the foot of the door. "Sorry," she sighed. An ivy pattern shared between a garment bag and a hat box caught her eye. Old and familiar. "What's all this?"

"We brought your things over from the house." Korra flipped the lid off the closest suitcase and rifled through it. "Clothes, makeup, books, some...okay, I don't know what those are." Her smile hesitated as she latched it closed. "We didn't know what you'd need, so...we just kind of brought it all."

Down the hall, a pair of legs trudged towards them, balancing even more luggage on a large steamer trunk. "We'll get this place feeling like home in no time," Bolin grunted out. He grinned around the stack in his arms. "Where do you want it?"

Unable to find her voice, Asami pointed at the far wall near the wardrobe. With a nod, Bolin squatted under the door frame and scooted past her.

Asami had spent all night trying to ignore the life she'd abandoned in favor of this one. Hiding in the dark, sacrificing her safety for people who could only push her away in the end. But remnants of her home now filled the hallway. Those people were smiling at her, welcoming her into their lives. The suitcases blurred around the edges and Asami blinked away the start of tears.

"You didn't have to do all this," she managed out. Looking up, she found Korra watching her with gentle eyes.

"No trouble," Bolin called back from the room. "We hitched a ride with some of the police that Chief Beifong dispatched to watch your house."

"Where's Mako?" Asami asked. She already knew that the answer was somewhere along the lines of ' _as far away as he could get_ '.

Bolin slid the trunk against the wall for support. "He stayed behind to walk the recon team through the estate. Beifong's got him reporting back to her with whatever they find."

Asami nodded. Amon had an entire network of underground facilities. They didn't have the manpower or the energy to comb the city for every possible entrance. Until Beifong's replacement took full control, they'd at least have some sense of how the investigation was going. The Chief had quit the force, but she wasn't about to lose her edge over a little thing like not being a cop anymore.

"There was no sign of Equalists. Or your father," Korra said. She dipped down to her stack of luggage to pick it back up. "Looks like they set explosive charges in the tunnels below the workshop and caved the place in. It'll be a while before we can follow them."

Asami pulled a few cases off the top of Korra's pile, earning a smirk. Like the girl who dug canyons out of asphalt and rode a polar bear dog through the tundra had needed help.

Together, they piled up the suitcases in the corner of the room. As they worked, they spoke of small things. Bolin mourned that their diet was going to be strictly vegetarian while on the island. Korra laid out the daily and nightly meditation schedules of the air acolytes. They avoided mentioning Mako or his absence.

Asami would need to spend a few days sorting through all of it. The luggage formed a miniature city made up of all the distractions she'd used to ignore how dangerous the world had gotten. But it was more of her life than she'd expected to ever see again. "I can't believe that you did all this for me," she murmured, finding Korra's smile again. More warmth surged down into her bones.

"We're your friends," Bolin scoffed, dropping a pair of duffel bags.

Asami stared at the window, that anxious panic bubbling up in her. "I didn't want to assume..."

"Hey." Korra held her arm firm. Waited till Asami finally met her eyes. They were kind, determined. As if making Asami listen was her most vital concern. "You have a place here," Korra said.

Drawn by some force of nature, Asami threw her arms around Korra's neck and pulled her close. Fighting the thick weight in her chest. She had spent too much energy pushing her away. Trying not to hurt her by proximity, when Korra's support was just about the only thing holding Asami together. She breathed her in. Korra smelled of salt air and the sea. The girl squeezed back and rested her face against Asami's shoulder.

Another strong pair of arms wrapped around them, and Bolin hummed pleasantly into the bear hug he clamped them both into.

It took a long moment for Asami to recognize her own laugh.

* * *

 **Republic City, Night**

 _(season 1, episode 8)_

* * *

Bolin leaped over his door before Asami managed to pull the roadster to the curb. "Thank you thank you thank you! I'll only be a minute!" He lunged for the tea shop and disappeared inside.

No sign of any Equalists as they neared their third hour of patrolling. 'Team Avatar' had been canvassing Republic City street-by-street. They hadn't turned up any real leads yet. All they had managed to do was hassle a pair of triad thugs that were roughing up protesters. Non-benders had broken out into demonstrations citywide, fueled by frustration and anger. With Amon's army confident and inspired, the city was straining at its seams.

Adjusting her rear-view mirror, Asami found Mako and Korra sharing hushed words. Their voices fell beneath the gravelly hum of the engine. Neither looked unhappy to be sitting next to each other. Asami turned up the police scanner, filling the air with the drone of police reports and check-ins. She gripped the steering wheel. Sank into the chatter of unintelligible codes and call signs.

She watched Mako stretch his arms with a sigh. "I'm fading," he yawned. "I need caffeine." With a smile, he tapped Korra's shoulder as he opened his side of the car. "Do you want any ginseng tea?"

Korra flashed a smile at him. "I'm good."

Asami watched the two in silence for a long moment. Mako hesitating at the car door. Korra's smile fell and she nodded at the back of Asami's head. Frustrated, like she was scolding a child.

With a quiet breath, Mako turned to the driver's side. Asami shot her eyes back to the road. "Would you like anything?" he asked. The first words he'd spoken to her since the night in the factory.

"No," Asami said. Catching her tone, she added a quick "Thank you."

Nodding, Mako patted the side of the car and headed inside.

The night hung between her and Korra. The hustle of taxis and delivery trucks ambling past them. The thrum of the engine through the car's frame. Distant shouts and chanting.

"You're making him talk to me," Asami sighed.

Korra's chin fell to the edge of her door as she stared out at the shop window. "If I can't make peace between you two, what chance does the _entire city_ have?"

"There's not much left to mend."

Korra frowned into the mirror. "Asami, he's trying. It's a lot to process. You could stand to put a little effort in, too."

The moment that Mako had seen her with the Equalists, Asami had known things were over between them. A chill had overtaken the looks that he could bear to give her. "He was going to leave me behind," she said. The words stuck in her throat. "Back at the factory. I remember."

"I need you _both_ ," Korra said. Asami met her eyes in the mirror for a breath or two, but then Korra turned back to the sidewalk. "...I need you both to be on the same page. Mako knows that the most important thing right now is to work together to stop Amon. We're a team."

"Not exactly feeling the team spirit," Asami muttered.

"Calling all units, Level 4 alert!" The police radio crackled to life. "Jailbreak at headquarters, officers down, electrocuted! Chi-blockers and Equalist convicts are still at large, armed and dangerous, last seen heading east!"

They jolted up in their seats. Sirens faded in from the distance.

"I repeat, Level 4 alert!" the dispatcher barked, "Equalist jailbreak!"

Mako and Bolin sauntered out of the tea shop. They jumped at the blare of the car horn that greeted them.

"We've got incoming!" Korra yelled.

Asami revved the car. "Hurry up!"

Mako downed some of the tea and tossed the rest in a curbside trash bin. He hopped over the passenger's side door and settled in beside Asami. By force of habit, she had to guess. His eyes scanned the intersection ahead. He glanced over at Asami. "You ready?"

She nodded with a thin smile, slipping her goggles back on. "Hold on." Asami the gearshift and they peeled out onto the street with a roar.

* * *

 **Police Headquarters, Detention Area**

( _season 1, episode 9)_

* * *

The cell block thrummed with hushed voices, arguments, sobbing. The police had collected dozens of other protesters since arresting Asami and the boys. In the silence of the morning, Asami studied the sewage and water pipes lining the ceiling. Steel sheeting along the walls bore rivets drilled in a familiar pattern. Maximizing structural support, efficient, effective. Future Industries had likely designed and constructed the entire detention block at Police Headquarters. No doubt Hiroshi had used his knowledge of the jail's bones to help break out Equalists last night.

At the demonstration, Councilman Tarrlok had been so sure of her guilt. Hiroshi Sato was a known Equalist, wouldn't his daughter be one as well? There was little proof of her involvement with Amon's plot, other than hearsay. But there were plenty of witnesses. The testimony of the Avatar and her friends could hold weight. Beifong and Tenzin had no obligation to keep her out of prison. What if they decided that one high-value arrest outweighed any help she could give? Dozens of Equalists that had seen her turn on her father, knew that she had killed more than one of their own. If the police captured and questioned them, they could corroborate Tarrlok's suspicions. Tell the whole sordid tale of espionage and betrayal.

The metal bed beneath her was hard, painful. She had gotten no sleep in this place. Korra promised to get them out of police custody, but night had come and gone. It seems that Republic City Police had committed to keeping them out of the war with the Equalists. Mako and Bolin were off in some other wing of the jail, as far as she knew. Her body ached. Confined in this tiny metal box, she had doubts that she would ever see the outside of a cell again.

Perhaps she would spend her foreseeable future staring at the ceiling, waiting for each hour to lead to the next. Locked in a cell with only her regrets and her sins. Trapped within cold steel walls built by her father.

Footsteps echoed from down the hallway. Asami closed her eyes, distilling the sounds in her mind. Three distinct gaits.

"We're running low on time, boys," Beifong let out in a harsh whisper. "She's just fine where she is."

"Korra wouldn't leave her here."

Mako.

Slipping off the metal cot, Asami stepped to the door. They were close.

"Do I look like the Avatar to you?" Beifong growled.

"No..." Bolin said, "But you _do_ look like a super smart, super fair former police chief willing to give people second chances."

"She wants Amon taken down just as much as we do," Mako insisted. "She can help us."

Asami pounded a fist against the door. "Guys?" she called out. Waiting.

The slot in the door slid open, and Mako found her eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded, feeling the pressure in her chest ease somewhat. He actually looked relieved to see her. "What's going on?"

"The Chief's busting us out of prison!" Bolin said.

"Keep quiet..." Beifong nudged his arm.

"Korra's in trouble," Mako said. "Amon captured her."

Being locked in this cell had been inevitable. She knew the consequences of what she'd done, what she'd tried to do. She could grow to accept them. But not while she still had something to lose.

Asami gripped the edges of the door slot. "Let me out."

"Easy there, missy," Beifong said, glowering. "These two weren't conspiring with Amon."

Asami took a breath, leveling her eyes at the woman with a resigned calm. "When we stop Amon, you can turn me back into police custody. Evidence, names, anything I know about their operation: they'll get it all. I will confess to everything I've done, and accept the punishment. I swear it." That familiar flutter of panic galvanized into anger. For Korra. At her father. "I have to finish this," she said.

Beifong considered for a long silent moment, then turned to Mako. "She's your responsibility."

Mako fought a smirk. "Yes, ma'am."

The Chief swatted at the boys to get out of the way, and Asami backed away from the door. With her smooth, firm motion, the edges of the door crinkled and folded open as if they were paper.

Asami slipped into the hallway. Stretching the ache from her back and shoulders.

Beifong blocked her path, pointing a tense finger at her. " _One toe_ out of line, and you're gonna end your day back in that cell."

"I keep my word," Asami said.

"You better."

Asami's first steady breath of the day came when Bolin patted a hand on her back. She flickered a smile at him, then at Mako. Not waiting for them, or the Chief, Asami began to march down the hallway.

"Let's go get our girl."

* * *

 **Chapter Art is available on my tumblr or my _Archive Of Our Own_ publication of this story. To find it, search online for "darling gypsum tumblr 122791560127" and follow my chapter art link.**

 **Thank you so much for reading! Thoughts? Comments?**


	13. Reconciliation

_**"Believe me, I was upset over it too, but I'm over it. I don't think it meant anything."**_

 _ **"I doubt that…"**_

 _(season 1, episode 10)_

* * *

Hope was dangerous.

It made a person weak, vulnerable.

The last few days, Asami had clung to the hope that after the dust settled, they'd have defeated Amon. Hope that her father would realize the error of his ways and come back to her. Hope that her friends would know without a doubt how much she cared for them and wanted to keep them safe. Hope that she would find something resembling a life amid the ashes.

Bolin's confession had scratched all that ugly hope to the surface, and left it raw. Exposed.

She couldn't bear to look at Mako. Or Korra.

In the kitchen, she stood at the sink with Pema and cleaned dishes. Asami kept watch on her all the while. Pema had insisted nothing was wrong when she'd felt a flash of pain, that the baby had just been kicking. But Asami watched her for any more twitches or sighs. Avoided thinking about how Mako carried Korra home to the island.

Mako marched into the kitchen on a mission. "Can I get some hot water? Korra needs more tea." He brandished a copper teakettle at them.

She shoved the plate she was cleaning under the sink water. "You're a firebender," she muttered. "Boil it yourself."

Asami had avoided what was going on between Mako and Korra from the beginning. They were close friends. As teammates, they'd fought side-by-side for months. Trusting one another as eagerly in the ring as in a street brawl against Equalist agents. How quickly had that trust turned into something else?

Pema gently stepped back from the sink, drying her hands. "I'm gonna step out in case you two wanna talk," she said carefully. She disappeared through the curtain.

All night, Asami had replayed the last few months in her mind. Despite the fear of arrest, the adrenaline of living a double life, she had always been so certain of her control of it all. Control of her emotions around Mako, control of their relationship. No. It _hadn't_ been a relationship. She had to stop thinking of it like that. Asami had manipulated him. _She_ had been the one to hurt _him_ with lies.

But then why was her stomach in aching knots? Coiling up into itself until it felt like she might collapse.

Mako rested the teakettle on the sink's edge. " _Is_ there something we need to talk about?" he asked.

"No."

She had compartmentalized her life so thoroughly: placate Mako, profile the Avatar. How had she not seen it? Had Mako spent their entire time together wanting someone else? What had 'together' even meant for them? If the decision hadn't been forced on her, would she have ever gotten the nerve to tell Mako the whole sordid truth? That their first meeting had been at Amon's orders. What right did Asami have to be hurt? To be angry?

"I feel like you're mad at me." Mako circled the sink and kept his distance.

She flexed her hands and started scrubbing harder. She clung to that knot inside herself, holding it under the surface of the water, trying to twist it into anger. Asami had somehow convinced herself that maybe that would hurt less. _Hate him for this_ , she commanded herself.

Korra had been the one who kissed Mako, but if Asami's memory was correct, he had come up to the estate that night. He'd said nothing about it. He'd had no intention of coming clean.

What if that had just been the kiss that Bolin knew about?

The knot inside her was unraveling.

Asami took a slow steady breath, desperately holding a civil tongue. "You must have been relieved when you found out that I was an informant, instead of just your girlfriend," she said.

"What does that mean?" he asked. "No. I wasn't. Asami, you fabricated a relationship with me to help Amon dismantle the city!"

"You were really worried about Korra."

He blinked at her. "I don't know what's happening here…"

"You haven't been more than a room away from her since we got her back," Asami said. She'd meant to make it an accusation. But her words were more a quiet revelation.

Mako had been a man obsessed while they searched for Korra. False leads and attacks from Equalists had led them out into the street. Korra had escaped on her own, just barely. And he had pushed everyone else away, cradled her in his arms, calmed her with quiet words and smiles. And now he was still fawning over her at the Temple. Holding her hand as she slept. He was at her side every minute, getting her anything she asked.

"She was abducted by a crazy bloodbender!" Mako said. "How did you expect me to act?"

"Do you have feelings for her?"

He stood there, processing the question for too long.

All this and they still had Amon to contend with. Her father to find. The world was burning around them and Asami wasn't sure what her life would look like tomorrow. What it would look like in the next five minutes. And yet, of all the threats around her, what weighed the heaviest were the lies she'd told to get close to these people.

"Where is this coming from?" Mako asked.

She grabbed dishes one-by-one, wiping each clean, slipping them into a drying rack, focusing on the motions. "I'm supposed to be able to know what makes people tick." She managed a small, anxious smile as a thick burn climbed up her throat. "It was my job to anticipate your needs, figure out what you all were thinking. And you managed to keep the truth from me this whole time. Honestly, I'm impressed."

"The truth? About what?"

"You're really going to make me say it?" She locked onto his stare.

"Yes! Because I don't know what you're talking about."

" _The kiss_ , Mako." she turned away, gripping the sink. "I know."

Asami had been good at her job. She'd been an attentive, loving partner. Shared Mako's interests, listened to his concerns, supported him. Despite the lies, despite the secret of how they had met, on the surface, Asami had done everything right.

And it still hadn't been enough for him.

"I…" He fell over his words, and his eyes hardened. "Bolin told you, didn't he?"

"He barely had to!" Her mouth grew an edge to it. "And don't blame your brother for what you did." She had hoped for a peace between them. At least a chance to acknowledge that there had been affection between them. Her last moments with Mako at the Air Temple suddenly felt very final.

"What _I_ did?" he asked.

"You kissed her long before you knew about me or my father." Her fists clenched. The burning in her throat rose to her face. To her eyes.

"It happened once," Mako insisted. "And why does this matter to you? What you and I had wasn't real."

" _It was real for me!_ "

Mako still saw her as a spy, a manipulator who'd cared for nothing but her own petty revenge. Who'd only helped stop her father once she'd gotten caught in her lies. To him, her loyalty was a mask. She could pour herself into a relationship and not feel a thing.

"I am not as good a liar as you think I am," she managed out in a hush. Her voice was breaking.

"I don't know anything about you," he said gently. Hoarse.

"Yes, you do," she whispered. "You know this _hurts_. You're not the only one who lost something in all this." It felt like she was swallowing a rock. "I want to be mad at you, but I can't. I don't have a right to be."

Mako's shoulders fell, along with the bluster, the righteousness. "We weren't trying to hurt you," he said. "It just…happened. It was a mistake."

Asami turned back to the water. "No."

"We made a mistake."

"No, you didn't, Mako." She ran her hands beneath the water's surface. Traced her palm, her fingertips. There was no trace of the burns anymore. "I'd want her, too."

"Asami-"

"Thank you, actually." She smiled weakly. "You made this a little easier for both of us. You can go after the person you actually want, and I don't have to feel as guilty about all this." Her hands wrung together, shaking. She barely contained a quiet laugh. "I guess our relationship was a bigger sham than I thought." Wiping at her face, Asami tried to ignore his eyes on her. She forced herself to breathe.

"I'm sorry," Mako said.

"I kissed her, too."

The words were soft, like she was clinging to them for dear life. She held onto the silence that fell between them. Waiting for a reaction. When she found Mako's eyes, they were quiet. Attentive.

"Hey there, kids…" Bolin poked his head through the curtain, wandering into the kitchen wearing a too-big smile. "Air Temples sure like their thin walls, amirite?" He let out a nervous chuckle, casting an eye back towards the dining room.

Her face burned. She stared back down at the dishes.

Mako reached for her and she jerked away. In a few swift motions, she snatched up the kettle, cranked out fresh water, and held it out for him.

"Go give her the tea," she ordered. Her voice hard, but exhausted. Mako gently took the kettle from her, but she couldn't bear to meet his eyes. Their words had drained her. Mako could think whatever he wanted of her confession. She was tired of hiding the parts of herself that were inconvenient. She was tired of fighting to protect the feelings of someone who already thought the worst of her.

Mako left the kitchen without another word.

It was a few heartbeats before she felt Bolin take a spot beside her at the sink.

"So…" He studied a cup full of dishwater. "Sounds like that could have gone better."

Asami scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her wrist. Soap and water coated her cheeks. Good. Maybe it'd hide the tears welling up. More than anything else, she was tired of crying.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked. "For telling you?"

She went back to the dishes. "No, Bolin. You were just being honest with me."

"Mako has a tendency to cling to things," he said, "But he usually comes around."

"Usually?"

"Might not help that you're dating."

"Were," she said.

"Yeah…I got that impression." Bolin nudged her shoulder. "But things are crazy right now. Just give him time." He grabbed a rag and offered to take the next plate. His smile was hesitant. "That is…if you still wanna be around us?"

That expression was the look of someone who knew how to prepare himself for loss. It just about set her off again. She pushed down the waterworks and reached out for the rag, holding his hands together. "I do, Bolin." At least he had managed to see the effort she'd been putting in to make things right. "I don't have many people left," she whispered.

"You've got me," he said. "For now, we'll be the Mini Team Avatar!" Bolin dropped the damp towel and futzed with their fingers in an awkward little dance. Tapping on her knuckles with his own, pushing her fingers together into a fist and bumping the top and bottom of it. He made a little explosion sound with his mouth. An awkward second passed. "We'll…we'll work on the secret handshake later," he shrugged.

A genuine laugh hitched in Asami's throat.

* * *

 ** _In the sewers below Republic City_**

 _(season 1, episode 11)_

* * *

Blood-red flags filled the skies as Amon and his army basked in their victory.

Beneath the streets, in a dank and winding sea of tents, Asami watched the Avatar prepare to take her city back from them.

Korra tugged at the Equalist mask, struggling to line up the goggles. "I can never see in this thing," she growled, her voice muffled behind the fabric.

"Just turn your head," Asami said gently, reaching for Korra's face. " _Slowly_ , though. The footsoldiers are used to not having peripheral vision. Don't make too much of a fuss or you'll stick out."

Days had passed, cramped and huddled in the reservoir tunnels below Republic City. There were hundreds of people down here. The forgotten poor of Undercity. Barely anyone had a coat on their back or a yuan to their name, but they welcomed the Avatar and her friends, offering a safe place to lay low and out of sight of Amon's forces.

They couldn't hide for much longer. Korra wasn't the only one getting stir-crazy with all the sneaking around. Staying out of harm's way was not going to bring about peace. Asami knew they needed to stop running and finish this. A few scraps of a plan had managed to form over the night, but Korra's idea was too much of a risk. Sneaking onto Amon's stronghold was the last thing that Asami wanted her to do.

Korra yanked the mask off with a grunt. Her hair was a tangle of frizz. She patted it down and wiped the shine from her face. "It gets _really_ warm."

Asami took the mask from her and began fiddling with the piping on the headpiece. "You've had the valves closed on these ventilation pipes." After double checking the apertures, she handed the mask back to Korra. "Here," she said, her smile weak. "It should give you a little more air. The goggles shouldn't fog up so much, either."

"Thanks." Korra clutched at the mask in her hands. She had been all bluster and anger last night when she'd proposed infiltrating Air Temple Island. But it was obvious that Korra was as apprehensive as they all were. This was the only option left to them.

"Amon may spout on about equality but there's still some regiment to the soldiers," Asami instructed. She reached for the final button on Korra's suit and fastened it. Hoping it would keep her hands from shaking. "Don't salute anyone, but stick to 'yes sir' and 'no sir' if you can help it."

Mako sat on a crate, mimicking the adjustments that Asami had made to the mask's hardware. "What if someone asks questions?" he asked.

Asami stepped behind him and straightened the high collar around his neck. They needed to be able to pass inspection. "Stick to a simple story they can't check up on quickly. Last minute decisions are hard to coordinate. Say that you're new transfers."

Mako took over where she was futzing with his uniform. He displaced her fingers gently, though. The tone between them had cooled in the rush of preparations.

She straightened her own jacket, finding herself with nothing to do with her hands. "The more experienced soldiers report directly to Amon's lieutenant," she said, "but the rest are young volunteers to the movement. Some of them are just kids; they don't know much more than you do. They won't know to question it if you act like you know where you're going."

"Got it," Korra nodded. "Walk with a purpose."

"Something like that," Asami said with a quiet smirk.

"I think we're about as prepared as we're going to get," Mako said.

Asami crossed her arms and studied them in their uniforms. "I'm sure there's something else I'm forgetting…"

Korra tucked the mask into her belt and headed for the tent flap. "Really? I feel like my head's crammed with procedures and protocols."

Asami and Mako followed her out of the tent and into the damp air of Undercity. Laundry lines and wooden pallets were strewn together into makeshift alleyways. The atmosphere was quiet, anxious. These vagrant families knew that the next few hours would decide their own fates as well as that of Topside.

"If you run into the lieutenant," Asami added, "just do what he says. Don't give him a reason to suspect that you don't trust him implicitly."

"Asami." Korra turned, reaching for Asami's shoulder. She held it firm. Smiled as confidently as she could manage. "We'll be careful. I promise."

"I don't like this," Asami frowned, locking her arms together. "If it's just the pair of you, you're going to stick out. They travel in groups of three or four at least."

"We'll slip in with some of the others," Korra promised.

Asami took a slow breath, searching for her calm. "I should be going with you."

"Iroh doesn't know the city like you do," Mako said, siding up to them.

She scoffed. "I think the general has a few more shadowy assaults under his belt than I do."

"You know more about your father and his tactics than anyone," he insisted.

"Bolin and General Iroh need your help," Korra said. " _You_ can make sure those aircraft stay grounded. Nothing else matters if we can't get Iroh's fleet into the bay."

They both looked so sure of themselves. And so incredibly over their heads.

Asami nodded quietly. "Take care of each other. Please."

Korra stepped into Asami's space. Reaching around her shoulders and hugging her close. Asami swallowed down a tangle of nerves when Korra squeezed the hug for a half-count.

"Come on," Mako said. "They're waiting."

Asami let Korra lead her by the arm. "Let's get you on your way."

People bustled at the center of a dusty clearing formed between tents and lean-to's. Iroh and Bolin were packing what little supplies they were able to collect from the Undercity. For the trip, they would need food, warmth for the frigid mountains, and any equipment that would help them sabotage the airfield launching Amon's squadrons.

Bolin glanced up and tried to smile at the three of them. But the weight of splitting off from his brother was clearly taking a toll. He patted Naga on the neck before stepping away and heading straight for Mako. Gathering his big brother into his arms, he held on for dear life.

A small crowd had begun to assemble around the group. Asami heard sobbing beside her and found Gommu, the vagrant telegraph operator, weeping. The old man blew his nose into his ratty jacket.

Mako clapped Bolin's back. "Love you," he whispered.

With a smile, Bolin nodded. "Love you back."

Asami watched the boys pull back from the hug, and she waited for one of them to say something else. Something bold. Confident. She'd even take inappropriately lighthearted. But Mako and Bolin just stared. As though nearly two decades together hadn't been long enough to memorize all the details of each other's faces.

"Don't I get one?" Korra asked.

Bolin stepped to her with a somber smile. He pointed right at her chest. "Korra, Amon is a nasty dude." He spreads his arms open to offer a hug. "Be careful."

Korra walked into his arms and embraced him. "I will," she promised. "Good luck."

She found Asami's eyes for an instant, and then pulled Bolin back towards the crates that were serving as their staging area. "Listen," she told him. "Naga pretty much rides herself. You don't have to put too much pull on the harness to get her to move; she's got a good sense of intention…"

Mako found his way next to Asami, and they both watched as his little brother prepared for war. "Could you watch out for Bolin?" he asked.

"You never have to ask me that," Asami said softly. She fought back tightness in her chest. "Of course I will."

"Thank you."

"I don't have to say the same for Korra, do I?"

Mako shook his head, his expression firm, resolute. From the instant he'd volunteered to follow Korra to Air Temple Island, it was obvious that he'd put his life on the line to protect her.

"There's more to say." Mako didn't turn to her. His eyes had fallen to her feet.

With a quiet sigh, Asami nodded. "Not much time for it, though."

"When this is over, we'll make time." His hand drifted to hers and gently grazed it. "Okay?" he said. "Make sure you come back."

Her hand trembled against his. Her eyes anchored straight ahead, and she clasped what fingers she could find. Asami had almost forgotten how warm his skin was. She managed another nod. "You too," she murmured.

There was a chuff from Naga as the massive polar bear dog stood. "Woah woah woah woah I'm fine!" Bolin clung to the harness with a wild, half-kilter grin. A panicked squeak came from inside his shirt, and Pabu peeked out for a split second. Bolin waved out to Asami. "All aboard!"

Korra stood in front of Naga, and lifted a hand towards her muzzle. The dog obediently crouched down. General Iroh climbed into the saddle behind Bolin, all straight-laced and to the job.

Asami could see that they were waiting for her. She felt the slightest resistance when she pulled from Mako's hand. Something flickered behind his eyes. Concern? Doubt?

"Ready?" Korra asked. She took a knee and offered Asami her threaded hands.

She gripped Korra's shoulder and stepped into her palms, chuckling nervously as Korra boosted her up. Iroh reached down for Asami's hand, and she hauled herself up onto Naga's back. The polar bear dog took a full heavy breath, her entire rib cage swaying beneath them.

Below, Mako and Korra watched from the crowd of onlookers. Ready and determined to head straight the center of the Equalist Army to end this war from its source.

Asami couldn't lose them.

When Bolin nudged his foot against Naga's shoulder blades, the dog began to rise to her full height. Most of the undercity dwellers shuffled out of the way. Others, led by the still tearing-up Gommu, followed Naga's path in slow steps. "Good fortune and success to you, valiant heroes!" Gommu called.

Asami gripped Iroh's coat for balance as they strode down the tunnel. The warm lights of the Undercity faded.

A small, terrified corner of her brain went down a list of the last words she'd said to each of them. Trying to assure herself that it had been enough. That she hadn't let what little time was left be overshadowed by the thrum of uncertainty inside her. Tomorrow, they would either come out on the other side of this war with hard-won peace, or as rubble in the wake of Amon's new world order.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued!_**

 **Chapter Art is available on my tumblr or my** ** _Archive Of Our Own_** **publication of this story. To find it, search online for "darling gypsum tumblr 122791560127" and follow my chapter art link. Click on the link for "Reconciliation" to find my artwork for this chapter!**

 **Thank you so much for reading! Thoughts? Comments?**

* * *

 ** _Fic Recommendation: Asami final confrontation with Hiroshi_**

 _(season 1, episode 12)_

* * *

 _While you wait for the next chapter, Google search "progman Unsure Footing" to read another short fiction piece that I think fits in with this AU. Before this scene, Asami and Bolin have confronted and defeated her father according to canon._ **Please be advised, potential trigger warning:** the fic is a little intense, with verbal abuse and angst between Asami and Hiroshi. It's not required reading to continue "Parts to Play" (this story is referenced with permission by the author, progman)


	14. Reunion

**(season 1, episode 12)**

 **Republic City Bay**

* * *

In the span of a few hours, the world abandoned the bluster and roar of war machines for an exhausted, uneasy hush. The Equalist army had fled the city. Amon was nowhere to be found. Anyone who had rallied around his flag had disappeared from the streets.

Asami closed her eyes, her face tilting to the sky as she breathed in sea air. The sun warmed her face, thawing the unrelenting chill from the mountains. She rocked with the gentle sway of the ferry boat. Tried to let it wash away the sound of her father's hateful words.

Her fingers scratched along Pabu's head and the little fire ferret curled tighter on her lap. Her hand traced the downy soft rings around his tail. Massaged between his ears and down his fuzzy neck. He yapped out something between a screech and a clicking sound. The monotony of the motion was soothing for both of them, it seemed.

A heavy weight shoved into her, and Asami's shoulder buckled. Naga nudged again with a deep, resonant chuff. A glutton for attention. "Jealous?" Asami smirked at the polar bear dog, lifting her free hand to rub at the coarse white fur along Naga's muzzle.

Bolin sat down on the deck next to Asami, keeping his hands wrapped around the railing ledge. "I think she appreciates good technique," he chuckled. He nodded to Asami's lap. "Pabu's enjoying himself."

"He's got this little tuft behind his ear that he likes." Asami smiled quietly down at the creature.

"There's a good spot just above where his tail starts, too," Bolin nodded. "He'll love you forever if you can find it."

Testing a few spots, Asami smirked when Pabu let out an enthusiastic, chittering purr. He unfurled and stretched beneath her hand as Naga nudged her shoulder again for attention. Asami rested her cheek against the polar bear dog's massive skull.

"The fleet's coming in," Bolin said.

Asami glanced back to the bay. United Republic Forces ships were in sight now, cutting a sleek arrow through the water as they headed for the mainland. She and Bolin, along with the young General Iroh, had taken out the airfield and her father's planes with barely time to spare.

"Not too shabby for a day's work," Bolin sighed. His head rested back on the railing.

The distractions that Asami had so carefully cultivated around herself faded into the background. Her hand stilled, and all she could think about was police marching her father into Republic Police Headquarters. They'd found him strapped to Naga's back, delivered to their doorstep. Asami and Bolin had watched from several blocks away, tucked around a corner. The building had been crawling with officers darting in and out. Despite the winding down of hostilities, Asami and Bolin were still fugitives. They couldn't risk getting recognized till tensions had blown over.

"I'm so sorry about all the things my father said to you," Asami murmured. "He was terrible."

Hiroshi had not left the airfield quietly. Slurs against benders, against the Avatar, harsh, cruel things that were designed to cut to Asami's core. Things that only a father could say to hurt his little girl.

Bolin's shrug was small. "We were toppling his boss's evil regime. He was bound to be a bit desperate. And, you know, angry." Bolin reached out and scratched Pabu's haunches. "How are you doing?"

"I don't know," she said softly. "I'm glad that it's done, but what next? I...I don't think I can go home." Was there anything left of the estate for her now? How many of the staff had helped with her father's dealings with Amon? She'd known most since she was a child. How many could she even trust anymore? If anyone was left, that was.

"You don't have to figure everything out yet." Bolin's voice broke through the fog of too many loose ends in her life. "Mako and I are probably going to be staying at the Temple for a while. Why don't you stay, too? At least until all our beds stop sitting in the middle of crime scenes."

"I'll have to deal with the police sooner or later."

"Let's go with later," Bolin smiled, "Definitely later."

Two air acolytes sulked across the deck past them. The tall young man and middle-aged woman carried a heavy rope between them to the other side of the ferry. They spoke low to each other. "Does she still get to be the Avatar?" the boy asked.

"No idea," the woman responded. "Apparently she managed to airbend him off the roof of the pro-bending arena."

The boy adjusted his hold on the rope. "Does that count?"

"Wait," Asami called up at them. "What are you talking about? What's going on?" She scooted Pabu back to Bolin's lap.

At the question, the pair slowed their pace. "We just heard from the mainland before we set sail," the boy said, "Avatar Korra was the one who chased off Amon. It turns out that he was secretly a waterbender!"

Bolin whistled. "Wow. That's crazy."

"Everyone at the arena saw it," the acolyte woman insisted, "He came up out of the bay! Straight out of the waves in a water spout."

"What were you saying about Korra?" Asami interrupted.

The two looked at each other, hesitating, but the young man coughed and spoke up. "They...they're saying that Amon took her bending away."

All the air fled Asami's chest.

Everything Amon and Hiroshi had wanted. They'd gotten it all, short of a full scale takeover of Republic City. The Equalists had succeeded in destabilizing the government. They'd torn at every prejudice and anger below the surface of their city, dragging it up to light. And now, Amon had taken the Avatar. Asami remembered the words that Korra could barely form when they'd spoken about Amon's threat. He'd wanted to make an example of her. Make her suffer with the knowledge that she wasn't strong enough to stop him. Korra had been so afraid of that. She had to be so afraid right now...

Staring out at nothing, Asami heard Bolin's voice. "Where is she?" he asked.

"Back on the Island," the boy answered.

"Go faster." Asami pulled herself up by the railing. They were halfway to the Air Temple pier. She couldn't make out any figures on the coastline yet, but she had to find Korra.

Bolin gently set down Pabu and stood beside her. "I don't think that's how the boat works..."

With a huff, Asami thrust a finger out at the two acolytes. "How about I tear apart this bucket of sticks you call a boat and get you a damn diesel engine that crosses the bay in less than a damn week!"

Bolin gently spun her back by the arm. "Hey now, no reason to threaten anybody. Though, to be honest, that was the nicest threat I've ever heard…"

"I should have been there," Asami whispered. "We should have been there to help her."

"You have to take a breath." He eased her back to sit on the deck.

Naga's head fell into her lap again, weighing her down. Asami sunk her trembling fingers into the white fur. She stared out at the bay, and the fleet that she'd sacrificed her father to help. She'd been asked to make a choice, and she'd stepped up to make it, for better or worse. But no one had asked Korra to sacrifice so much of herself.

"We can't do anything yet, okay?" Bolin waited for her to meet his eyes.

She nodded weakly, silently hoping that when they got to Air Temple Island, that she wouldn't find herself still stuck in the worst day of her life.

* * *

 **Air Temple Island**

* * *

The Avatar had been emptied. The fire at her core, the earth under her feet, the water surging through her blood: they were all strangers to her now. Amon had sunk his claws into Korra and torn everything out. He'd left her a hollowed shell.

"I can't believe Amon got you, too." Beifong palmed Korra's shoulder from the step above them. Almost tenderly. Gentleness from Lin could only mean that everyone else was too afraid to even be near the former Avatar. They thought she was fragile. Helpless.

Korra watched Tenzin and his family at the bottom of the Temple steps. His arms wrapped around Pema, his eyes gently adoring his newborn son. A quiet, grateful moment amid the disaster that the day had wrought. The war was over, for now. Republic City was be free of Amon. Free of Korra, too.

The world had always responded to her in little ways. Yesterday, Korra could have felt the ripple and pull of currents in the sea as she swam. The echo and grit of the stone as she sat here now. Mako's warmth beside her was the only fire she could sense now. Everything else felt dull. Lifeless. The air clung to her, and she felt a twinge of awareness and energy in the wind, but Korra had grasped one element only to lose the other three. She felt blind in the world. An airbender was no Avatar.

She threaded her fingers with Mako's. He hadn't left her side since the Equalist rally. He was still concerned for her like the others, but he wasn't avoiding her like a plague. She leaned into his side, and sharp pain flashed. The healers would be here soon. Korra couldn't deal with her injuries on her own anymore. She settled into the gentle discomfort, the stinging along every cut and bruise on her body.

"You said you had news," Mako said to Beifong.

"Hiroshi Sato's been taken into custody," Lin sighed, reclining on her step. It was unsettling to see her not at a soldier's attention. Beifong looked exhausted. Defeated. "Police found him waiting in front of the station, trussed up to your dog."

Naga had made it back to the city.

"What about Asami?" Korra asked quickly. "Bolin?"

There had been no new planes in the sky since their infiltration of Amon's rally. Asami and Bolin must have succeeded in shutting down the airbase. Iroh had already checked in safe and sound with the Air Temple radio. But if Hiroshi had been there, Asami must have confronted him. Captured him. There was too much pain between them for that to have been a happy reunion. Korra needed to know that she was okay.

"They weren't mentioned in the reports I received." Beifong said. "The dog ran off."

The world had fallen into chaos in only a few days. With or without Amon, there were no doubt plenty of Equalists out there looking to take out their loss on one of her allies. Even better, her friends. "What if something happened to them?" Korra tapped her feet anxiously against the steps.

Mako grabbed Korra's other hand, his thumbs tracing the curves of her palm. He held her close. "It doesn't mean anything, Korra."

"I broke them out of jail during the invasion," Beifong reminded her, "More likely they were avoiding arrest." She eased herself to her feet, and began descending the steps. "So much for the girl's word."

"What do you mean?" Korra asked. An acolyte darted down the stairs past them and hurried to Tenzin's side.

Mako fidgeted on the step. "Asami...promised to turn herself into the police after we stopped Amon."

"But she didn't do anything. She was on our side."

"And before that, she conspired with Amon to trap you," Lin blustered. "She offered evidence on her father's dealings and agreed to accept any charges leveled against her."

Tenzin parted from Pema and the kids and quietly approached the steps. "The mainland ferry is on its way back," he said, "Asami, Bolin, and Naga are all on board."

Korra watched him avoid her eyes. She could feel the shame he was bottling up. He had lost an Avatar on his watch.

"I want to be on the dock when they get here," Korra said. She dropped Mako's hands and began to stand.

"Are you sure?" Mako asked. "You need your rest."

"I'm tired of resting." At her full height, she met Beifong's gaze. "No one is arresting her," she ordered.

Resting a hand on Korra's back, Mako let her take a few uneasy steps down. "I'm right behind you," he promised.

* * *

 **Air Temple Island, Dock**

* * *

Naga barreled over the side of the ferry before its wooden ramp had been set down. The polar bear dog hit the stone dock with a heavy thud and bounded for Korra, who couldn't help but smile at the unbridled joy. It was the first face all day that was unconditionally happy that Korra had survived. That didn't carry an ounce of grief, or disappointment, that the mantle of Avatar had not.

She braced herself as the polar bear dog crashed into her in a heap of fur, slobber, and happiness. "Missed you, too, girl," Korra held onto scruff to steady herself. Naga whined into her chest, blew out heavy puffs of air through her nose as she nuzzled into her.

Rushing past them, Mako met Bolin at the ferry ramp. The brothers grabbed each other into a firm, exhausted hug.

"Good to see you're in one piece," Mako said, patting his little brother's back.

"What? After a few Equalists? Please." Bolin grinned. "No sweat. Not with a pair of terrifying guard dogs watching my back." He nodded back to the ferry.

Korra shook out Naga's fur one more time before finding Asami hanging back from the others, slowly descending onto the dock. Hands grasped in front of her, she halted at the foot of the ramp when Korra met her eyes.

The girls said nothing for a long second. Didn't move. They studied bumps and bruises from the distance between them, finding some calm in the fact that they were each in one piece. But they could see how the other carried a weight in her stance, in the depths of her expression. Neither of them felt whole. Despite the small smile they shared, neither of them looked happy.

They hesitated before the last few steps to each other. Asami was the first to try and speak. "They…they said that-"

"I heard about your father." Korra said quickly. "I'm sorry that you had to do that."

Asami blinked at her for a second, hugging her arms. "I'm not," she said. "If he was too far gone, I wanted to be the one to put him away."

Korra nodded. "What happens next?"

"I don't know," Asami said quietly. She reached out a hand, and Korra felt a flush up to her eyebrows. A heavy heartbeat passed, and Korra shifted forward to close their distance.

When Naga's familiar chuffing blew air over her shoulder, Korra felt her blush worsen. Asami reached out the rest of the way past her face to scrunch up the fur on Naga's head.

"Yeah," Bolin chimed in. The boys shuffled over to them. "Do you take over Future Industries now?"

"What?" Asami bristled nervously at the question. A calming breath later, she managed an answer. "That is…I don't know when I'll be...I'm not sure. I haven't thought that far ahead."

Mako offered Asami a smile and threw an arm over her shoulder. For a moment, she looked startled by the gesture. "Let's just take a minute to appreciate that the Equalists are gone, but we're not," Mako said.

The brothers pulled Asami and Korra into a hug, and they all clung to each other in a moment of precious silence. Naga loped around the group, barking low in her throat. She pushed her nose between them and nudged around to get close. They laughed quietly, breaking apart as the polar bear dog burrowed between them.

Asami lifted a hand to Korra's chin, staring at the scratches that had not been healed. "Is it true?" she asked. As if she needed to hear the answer to know.

The words were stuck, heavy in Korra's chest. She could only nod.

The hand moved to her arm. "You saved Republic City," Asami reassured her.

"No," Korra muttered, "You did. I let Amon get away."

"Hey, at least you unlocked your airbending!" Bolin said.

Mako frowned at his little brother. "Not the time."

Bolin lifted his hands defensively. "Right, right." He slowly backed away from the huddle. "I'll just stand over here. Quietly. In silence."

"It's over," Korra whispered hoarsely.

"We still have options," Mako said, holding Korra's arm. "We're gonna go to Katara. If anyone can help, it's her. We're not done yet." He glanced up at Asami. "Tenzin's already chartered a ship to the South Pole."

"Can I come with you?" Asami asked.

Korra looked up. She'd begged Asami to turn herself into the police, but the prospect of running away from that looming promise was the best thing she'd heard all day.

Mako smiled quietly. "You've already got a seat."

A massive foghorn blared.

They all jumped at the noise, as the flagship of the United Republic Fleet sailed into view passed the cliffs. The lead battlecruiser was multiple stories tall, all guns and steel. A howl of joy echoed from the deck.

"What in the world?" Mako stepped to Bolin as they eyed the ship in the distance.

Korra lost interest in the fleet, and turned back to find Asami still studying her face. There was so little left to say. This future had hung like a specter over them from the moment they'd first truly seen each other. There had been plans. There had been expectations. Parts they had been expected to play in the scheming of 'great men'. And now what were they?

As everyone else watched—and heard—the flock of battleships sail by, Asami slipped her arms around Korra's neck. Korra fell into the hug and gripped the back of Asami's jacket. Gently ran a hand against the small of her back. Offering what little comfort she could. They breathed together quietly. Needing to know that they were both alive.

* * *

 **Coming soon...Chapter 15: Resolution**

 **(the end of Book 1)**

Thank you for reading! Thoughts? Comments?

Book 1 just keeps getting longer. One more chapter only in Book 1. I PROMISE :) Not that I assume you guys mind more to read :P


	15. Resolution

**The South Pole**

 **(season 1, episode 12)**

* * *

The Southern Lights filled the sky. Smooth waves of ocean blues and jeweled greens rippled against the stars. A shimmering, spiritual imprint of the sea. So beautiful. So alive.

Their pale reflection danced across Korra's skin as she clung to the railing. Inert stone, cold beneath her touch.

Amon may have been defeated, but the Avatar had been taken by his crusade. Korra had lost her connection to the elements; all except for airbending, which could still take her years to master. For better or worse, Korra had been born a demigod among mortals. Now, she found herself a novice, with less grasp of her power than she'd had as a child. It would take years to regain an ounce of the bending power she'd had before. Most of it would never return.

Korra was barely fighting back against the crushing weight of that truth. Her friends were all were trying to be so supportive, so positive. But in her gut was a fear that was certain that she'd never be whole again. It clung to her like pitch.

"Hey, Korra!" Bolin called.

"We've been looking for you." Asami's voice was gentle. "How'd it go?"

Korra couldn't look at any of them. They had come all this way with her. All this way _for_ her. Her friends had sailed halfway across the world to make sure that she was going to be okay. She couldn't let them down. She couldn't give up. But the thrum in her chest made her want to bolt off the balcony, sprint off into the snow, and never look back. Her parents could watch Naga. Without a failed Avatar to babysit, Asami, Mako, and Bolin could go back to Republic City and figure their own lives out. They'd given up so much to be at her side.

"We're gonna try again tomorrow," Korra muttered. "Katara said that it could take some time. Too much pressure isn't good for this sort of healing."

This had been a last ditch effort, but Katara was the closest that the world had to a miracle worker. Despite the universe working against them, she was supposed to fix Korra. Undo all the damage and give the story a happy ending.

"Then we can help you relax," Bolin offered. He hopped up on the railing to sit but peered over the drop below and immediately slid back off. "You know, just kick back, watch the sunrise, watch it set a couple hours later-"

"How are you feeling?" Mako asked.

"Tired," Korra said, her hands clenched.

She felt Mako and Asami flank her at the railing. Protective. Worried. The steady warmth from them soothed the itch at the back of her skull. The one that wanted her to spin out of control. Korra managed a solid breath.

Sinking into that feeling of closeness, of security, they quietly watched the sky with her.

"Wow," Bolin breathed, his mouth half draped open at the Lights. "So is it a storm or something? Some kind of spirit-thingy?"

Bolin spent his life bursting with enthusiasm, always capable of finding the smallest, most invisible shred of positivity in a situation where everyone else had long given up the search. He knew when to ask for help, when to admit that he was in over his head. Korra wished that she could be more like him, see things easier than they were. Be like Bolin, and know what help to ask for.

"It's not spirits. It's magnetic fields," Asami said. "Energy from the sun interacts with the particles in the atmosphere. Those particles get charged and release energy as light."

Korra smiled up at her. The world was a sea of beautiful questions that Asami wanted to explore. She believed that all problems had solutions, even if they weren't the ones you expected, or were prepared for. She drove herself forward with boldness, with resilience. Korra wished that she had gotten to see more of that Asami, before Amon and Hiroshi had blindsided them both. Left them struggling to find an anchor amid the wreckage of their lives.

Her smile got a blush from Asami, who could only hold her eyes for a moment before looking back out at the tundra. "That's the prevailing theory, anyway."

Bolin stared harder at the sky. "So…it's a light storm?"

Korra watched a smirk flutter across Asami's lips. "Yes, Bolin, it's a light storm."

Mako had not chimed up, resting solid against Korra's right arm.

Some would say that Mako ran hot and cold. But every shout, or impulsive decision, or sudden closed-off silence came from how deeply he cared. He was always afraid of losing more people. He needed to know that his family was safe, and could weather any storm. Korra wished that the world wasn't such a threatening place for him. That he could let his guard down. The few times she'd caught a glimpse behind that wall, she saw a warmth, a playfulness that she wished that she could always find in him.

He leaned into her ear, dropping his voice to a hush. "Do you want us to go?" he asked. "We don't want to crowd you."

"No, you're not." Korra shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be quiet," she said. "I'm just thinking."

"Don't _overthink_ , okay? Might do more harm than the pressure."

"I'll try," she said with a quiet smile.

They didn't mention the healing session again that night.

Tonight was for talking about nothing in particular. For pretending that their world was safe, and small. That they could be all happy together as friends, and not avatars, or spies, or victims.

Tonight was for talking until they were too tired to stand. Hopefully sleep would take them and overshadow all the anxiousness, the fear, and the hard reality of what tomorrow would be.

They huddled on the stone ground, sharing stories of the coldest night each of them could remember ever spending outside. With the exception of this one, of course.

Asami had fallen asleep in her father's auto garage, not realizing that she'd left the door open until a snow drift had swept inside. She'd spent the next day frantically scouring a socket wrench set that had rusted in a puddle of melted slush before her father noticed.

As children, Mako and Bolin had managed to find a stable to sleep in at the outskirts of the city. Bolin had snatched up Pabu from the brush, committing to keeping the little fire ferret as a pet as it curled up around his face for warmth.

Korra had savored one of her parents' visits to the compound with a camping trip out into the tundra. So far out that they couldn't even make out the lights of the compound. It had been perfect.

Night wore on. They quizzed Asami on what other meteorological facts she'd tucked away in the back of her memory. How many penguin seals were napping out on that ridge in the distance, they wondered, then counted. Bolin told the tale of Meelo and Pabu's raid into the White Lotus kitchens that afternoon, with the pair emerging feared and victorious. And how sweet was little baby Rohan? They had gotten to see Katara meet her grandchild for the first time. They remembered her look of pride and the utter devotion in her smile, and they longed to be looked at with half as much love.

The night grew still, filled only with the sounds of drowsy laughter and stories. Korra slouched against the balcony, but shuddered awake at the sound of one of the boys yawning.

"It's getting late," Asami said, gently nudging Korra. "We should get some sleep."

"Yeah," Korra groaned out, catching the yawn, "There's a lot of sitting around to do tomorrow." She tried to smile.

"We don't mind," Asami said. She stood and offered Korra a hand.

"We're not going anywhere," Mako promised.

* * *

Sleep did not come. The closer morning got, the less confident Asami was that one more day would be enough for Katara to do any good. If only their little bubble on the balcony, built to keep out the world, had been stronger. If only they could keep holding off the morning. Then they could at least _pretend_ that things were going to be okay, instead of knowing the final truth.

Asami dug her hands deeper into the pockets of her coat, desperate for warmth. The winters back home were downright temperate compared to the nights here in the south.

The halls of the White Lotus compound were stark and empty at the late hour. Asami wandered around a new, unfamiliar corner, and her steps echoed through the hall.

A pair of Republic City Police boots kept a steady pace behind her.

She glared over her shoulder. "Are you going to follow me five steps back the whole way?"

Officer Wen stared ahead, avoiding eye contact. He was all muscle and grimace, and had been trailing her all day.

"Where do you think I'm going to run away to?" she asked. "We're on a glacier."

"Sorry, Ms. Sato," he said briskly. His back stiff and hands pinned to his sides. "Orders."

"Am I to be escorted away in handcuffs tomorrow?" Asami asked. She paused and turned to him, forcing Wen to catch up to her.

"Master Tenzin already made the same request as you," he gruffed. "Master Katara should be giving her final evaluation sometime tomorrow, and we'll leave straight away after that. We expect you to join us."

"Of course. Yes." Asami stared at the insignia on the man's chest. "Thank you."

A heavy crash came from down the hall, and Asami turned as a large tin can rolled out from an open doorway.

Wen stood tense, eyeing the can as Bolin wandered after it.

"Evening," Bolin chuckled at them. "I was just…getting some…don't mind me." He picked up the heavy can with both hands and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Asami sighed. "Excuse me."

The officer nodded and, in a slow and tired march, returned to his distance from her. Within enough view that he could follow, but far enough back to give her some privacy, if it could be called that.

She turned into the kitchen, dimly lit with warm globes, and a fire burning low in the stove. From the floor beside an icebox, Bolin sifted through containers and jars. Even more of them surrounded him in a messy semi-circle.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Asami asked.

"Oh, hi." Bolin peeked out from the behind the door. "Yeah, I don't know if any of us are getting much sleep tonight. Did you see Mako? He went out for a walk a little while ago."

Asami shook her head quietly. Mako was more likely camped outside Korra's door. He wasn't going to leave her sight if he could help it. It was surprisingly reassuring to know he'd still be here after Asami was carted back to the city.

A row of stools hugged the kitchen counter at the center of the room, and Asami took a seat. "What do we have?" She surveyed the spread that Bolin had already assembled.

Bolin hauled himself from the floor and brought out a metal canister, frozen along its base and lid. Stepping around the table, he began to read food labels. "We've got smoked fish, smoked other kind of meat, smoked mysterious root-looking vegetables…"

"Sounds well-preserved," she smirked.

"But!" Bolin grinned, brandishing the frozen canister in his hands. "Outside of the smoked protein variety, there is a _shameless_ amount of ice cream around here. Apparently, the White Lotus folks have quite the sweet tooth."

The canister lid popped off, and Bolin offered Asami a spoon. They each took a scoop of ice cream. It was a decidedly "plain" flavor.

Asami stared hard at her spoon. "Well, when all you've got are buffalo yaks and snow…"

Bolin nodded gravely, meditating on the taste of it. "There's gotta be something we can mix into this that doesn't taste like pickles or leather."

She watched him circle the room. "You heard us out in the hallway," Asami said quietly.

That made him hesitate. "Um. Yeah." Bolin took a seat beside her at the counter. "Awful nice of them to let you come with us. Instead of, you know…" He gestured invisible handcuffs with his wrists tight together.

"I couldn't tell Korra," she admitted. "She needs to focus on herself right now. I didn't want to complicate things."

"If you suddenly disappear, it'll be even more complicated."

"I'm scared." The words were as sharp as the ice in her breath. She heard Bolin's stool scoot closer to her, and she leaned in as his arm came around her shoulder. Asami sunk into the hug. "Confessing is the right to do, but I don't know what happens after that. What if I'm the only face of the movement left? What if Raiko decides to make an example of me?"

"Hey, we're not going to let that happen," Bolin promised, hugging her shoulder even harder. "We're here for you."

"I know." Asami struggled to take deep breaths. Her throat ached. "I…I think I should go to bed." She slid the stool out and slipped away from his arm. "You have fun."

Bolin smiled gently. "See you tomorrow, at least?"

Asami nodded. "Goodnight, Bo."

"Goodnight."

She returned to the cold echo of the hall, with only watchful eyes to keep her company.

* * *

"Mindful breathing," Katara instructed. "In…" The woman's hands coasted across the surface of the healing pool. Her voice calm. "…and out."

In the hallway, Asami widened the crack in the door as she watched. An ethereal blue glow spilled out from the room.

Korra reclined in the water, silently staring at the light dancing around her. The grim determination she'd worn since arriving at the South Pole had drained from her. She looked exhausted. Her last threads of hope were slipping away.

A gentle hand rested on Asami's shoulder. "How much longer, do you think?" Mako asked softly.

"Could be a few more hours," she whispered, taking a step to make room for him. They watched the treatment in silence for a long time.

Asami hated the waiting, the uncertainty. Too many lives had been torn apart in the wake of Amon's fury. Real, permanent harm. There was so little that Asami could do other than wait while Korra sat there in the water, waiting to feel her bending come back.

"This might not work," she said gently.

Mako frowned at the door. "We can't talk like that."

"We're all thinking it," she muttered.

Behind them, in the waiting room, a dozen of the Avatar's closest friends and family were stuck sitting on their hands. Tenzin's entire family had trekked down here to support her. Her parents huddled together anxiously. Bolin had taken up Asami's stress relief of constantly petting Pabu. There was nothing else to do. No way to be sure that they could find a way to restore Korra or anyone else's bending.

Amon was gone. There had been rumors of an explosion in the bay shortly after hostilities had ended, but there were too many wrecks in the water to know for sure. Even if they weren't dead, Amon and Tarrlok were in the wind now. They wouldn't answer for their part in the chaos.

That would be left for Asami and her father to do.

"I can't," Mako said, shaking his head hard. "I can't think that. I can't-."

Asami studied him. His eyes trained on the pool. On Korra. On the last ditch effort to restore her bending. He was nearly shaking.

She held his arm. "Mako?"

He swallowed trembling in his voice. He slumped against the wall. "I promised you that I'd keep her safe."

Asami slowly pulled the door shut to a hairline. "None of this is your fault," she urged, siding up next to him. The wall chilled through Asami's jacket, like everything else on this glacier. "Our job is to figure out what can we do if Katara can't help."

"We stay close," Mako said. There was no doubt in the words. He watched Katara's hands gently flow across the pool. "We make sure that Korra knows we're here for her."

A breath escaped her in something like a laugh. "You're going to have to cover that one," Asami sighed.

He turned at that. "What do you mean?"

"I made a promise, too," she murmured. "Remember?" Glancing back to the group, Asami nodded at the smattering of police officers among the nervous loved ones. "You didn't think they followed Korra, did you?" Allowing her to travel to the South Pole had been an unexpectedly civil gesture. One she was sure Korra had pressured them into. Asami did not expect much more of an extension. "I'm going back to the city with them."

"Korra made sure that they knew how you helped," Mako said.

Asami nodded. "Beifong said that the police would take my cooperation and surrender into account." She smiled quietly. "Do you think they charge people with _light_ treason?"

"We'll testify on your behalf," Mako promised. He worked up the courage to take some steps to her.

Her smile hung by a thread. "Thank you," she managed.

Mako's eyes softened. "If there's anything I can do, anything you need-"

"How about a do-over?" she asked, her voice hoarse. A heavy weight settled in her chest. "Not that it makes much of a difference, but I'm so sorry, Mako."

"Me too," Mako said. "I'm sorry for making all this harder. And for helping things get so messed up between us."

"You helped me figure myself out as every bit as much as Korra did. You helped me realize the kind of person I wanted to be." She felt him step closer, and she fought the impulse to meet him. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself, fighting off the chill. "Thank you," she said, "for being good to me. When it was good."

Mako managed a smile and reached for her shoulder. "Standing around is gonna drive us nuts," he sighed, "Will you come sit with me?"

Asami nodded, following him back to the waiting room. They'd know soon enough if the war had earned the Avatar as a casualty.

* * *

 _The waiting room was silent. Tense. Defeated. "It's going to be alright, Korra," Tenzin promised._

 _"No, it's not." Korra quietly marched outside._

* * *

"Korra, wait!" Asami clung to the railing, sidestepping patches of ice as she trailed after her down the stairs. She hadn't been prepared for how cold the South Pole was. The wind carried a profound chill that seeped into her skin.

"Go away," Korra snapped. She hit the bottom of the steps and trudged out into the snow.

"I know this is a lot to process," Asami said, "but let us help you."

"No," Korra sighed. "I mean you should go back to Republic City. Move on with your life."

"What?" Asami halted at the foot of the steps. Had Korra not noticed the police team? The last glimpses of freedom that Asami would have were the walls of the White Lotus compound. The cold lifeless expanse stretching out before them.

"You're all just standing around pitying me," Korra managed out, her voice tight. Her eyes were locked on the horizon.

"No one's doing that, Korra. Why would we?"

"I'm not the Avatar anymore."

Stepping softly, Asami pushed through her hesitation to reach for Korra's shoulder. "That doesn't make a difference," she said, barely managing to touch the fur of Korra's coat.

Korra spun back from her touch, stumbling in a patch of soft snow. She regained her footing with a growl. "I was supposed to be some great spiritual leader. I was supposed to keep the world safe." Her eyes were murky, red with unshed tears. "And what am I now?" The frigid wind stripped her shout of its echo, taking the last shred of power that she'd managed to hold onto. Her shoulders shrank, and for the first time since Asami could remember, the Avatar was nowhere to be seen. Korra's hands slipped behind her head, gripping the back of her own hair. Desperate for a tether to some sort of comfort. Without one, Korra took a long breath of cold and resumed her march out towards the tundra.

Ahead, Naga slept near the compound's massive ice gate, her head low to avoid the bite of the wind.

Darting forward, Asami stepped into Korra's path. "That's not why I did any of this. I wasn't trying to save some great cosmic being. I did it for you. For _Korra_. Not the Avatar."

She was met with a glare. "I thought you said it all of it was 'Korra'."

There was a sting to having her words shot back at her. Korra was lashing out; her voice shook with as much fear as venom. Asami understood the need for privacy, for room to process a traumatic life change. But she was on borrowed time.

When Asami's reply was silence, Korra brushed passed her. "What are you supposed to do when a part of you gets _ripped out_?" The question was strained. She swept her boots through the snow. "I can't feel any of it. It's just dirt." Her toe dug into the frost and tore up the frozen ground beneath. "Just dirt, and mud, and snow, and I can't-" Her voice went out, and Korra bit back a sob. She stomped harder. Naga's head perked up at the violence of it.

"Korra, stop!" Asami snatched her hand and pulled her back. There was no resistance. The fight had drained from Korra in that final burst of impotent rage. She was slipping.

This close, their bodies blocked the frigid air from each other, and Asami huddled into the meager warmth between them. Korra's hands trembled as Asami gathered them up and clamped down to still them. Asami searched for her eyes. "I thought I'd lost everything of myself," she said gently, "But I had to fix what I'd helped to break. I had to protect the family I _found_ rather than the one that gave up on me. Those are the things that matter to me now." She threaded Korra's fingers with her own. Cold. Shaking. There had always been a heat to her touch. "This isn't the end of you, Korra. You can find another path for yourself. Figure out what's still important. But please, don't shut out the people who care about you."

The world was going to be a very different place without an Avatar to guide and protect it. Decades of effort, planning, and expectation had all been washed away with a single vicious act. Amon hadn't succeeded in destroying all benders, but by stealing a girl's future from her, he'd left a scar on the world.

"I can't be here," Korra rasped out. She slipped from Asami's grasp. "I need to go. I'm sorry."

Asami watched her hop up onto Naga's saddle. "Korra, please…"

"Naga, up." Korra patted one of the polar bear dog's haunches. Naga lumbered to her feet, towering over Asami. Stretching, shaking out the snow settled on her fur. Korra clicked under her breath, and they trotted to the open compound gate. The trot became a gallop. Then they broke into a fleeing sprint. Naga's heavy chuff grew fainter as Korra drove them towards the coast.

For some time, Asami watched from the gate and stared out at the open tundra, hugging her jacket around herself.

Snow crunched gently behind her, but she couldn't bear to turn.

"We need to be patient with her," Tenzin sighed. "It will take time for her to accept what has happened."

Asami didn't have the luxury of patience. What good could she hope to do for Korra with only hours?

"Where is she?" Mako asked, trailing Tenzin.

"She ran off," Asami sighed, rubbing away the frost starting to form around her eyes. They burned from the effort of staring down the cold wind. "I don't know what to say to her."

"You carry bending with from the moment you're born," Tenzin said, "It's at the core of you. I have to imagine that losing it is not unlike losing a limb. For Korra, even more so."

Platitudes and analogies would only take them so far. The sad truth was that Asami had no way to truly understand what Korra was feeling. She was ill-equipped.

Tenzin rested a hand on her shoulder, a kind fatherly gesture that made something small in Asami's chest knot up. When he let go and began walking back to the building, Asami finally let herself turn away from the gate.

She found Mako behind her, his eyes on the tundra, as if Korra would somehow know that he was standing there. Asami had beaten him outside, but he'd wanted to find a way to help Korra just as much.

"Where do you think she's going?" Mako asked.

"I don't know."

"She wants to be alone," he said.

"What she needs is someone nearby. Just to know they're there." Asami met his eyes, finding an all too familiar worry in them. "If you hurry, you can catch up," she offered gently. "Maybe you can get through to her."

He hesitated, but nodded. "I can try."

Over his shoulder, Asami saw that Lin Beifong waited at the foot of the steps. A Republic City officer stood nearby. Watching them. She fought a flutter in her brain. Like staring down a cliffside.

Stepping through her fresh boot prints, Asami turned for the healing house. "If I'm gone before you two get back, tell Korra…tell Korra that I didn't…"

What was left to say? Asami let herself exhale for a quiet moment, savoring the smell of the wide open world. She had no more words of encouragement, no insight. Until Korra hit the bottom of whatever she was spiraling down towards, Asami would give her the space she wanted.

"Never mind," she said quietly, shivering into her coat. Asami hugged her arms. "Just go find her."

Mako reached her and opened his arms. A gentle offer.

Asami bit back on the tremble in her breathing. Peeling her arms away from herself, she wrapped them around his middle and held tight. Mako squeezed back, and she felt an anxiousness she'd been carrying for too long melt away.

She breathed into his jacket. "Bring her home."

* * *

 _"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change…"_

* * *

Korra had stared out at the ocean for a long time, her feet grasping the cliff's edge. Waves crashed beneath her in a raging churn. Waves that she had no control of.

Cold tears had streamed down her face, sailing down a hundred feet into the ice and rocks below. The last time she'd stared down a plummet like this, there'd been a bright smile waiting for her at the bottom.

Her legs collapsing beneath her, Korra had hugged her knees to her chest.

The world had no Avatar.

But then, Aang's voice.

His spirit laid hands on her, and a floodgate opened. Down to her very soul. Every particle within her lit up, shined to the sky and burst with energy. Korra lost herself in mind and body, swept up in a different wave. One of life. Of her world returning to her.

Time lost its hold on her. The familiar thrum of hundreds of voices filled her thoughts, poured their strength into her. Generations of Avatars. They lifted her up. Welcomed her home.

The rush of spiritual connection subsided, and Korra found herself back on the cliffside, surrounded by gouged rock and scorched earth. The snow that had not melted around her had been scattered in ripples radiating from where she stood. The elements had swayed by her hand.

Korra felt whole again, energy pulsing through her skin down to her bones. It was vibrant. Vital.

Tears fell freely. Not of fear, or loss, but of overwhelming connection to the world. The sky filled her vision, blue and calm. The air opened in her lungs and it felt new.

"Korra?"

She turned to Mako's voice. He waited in the distance beside Naga, outside the shockwave of debris. A world of concern on his face.

A smile burrowed its way up through her shock. Korra stepped forward warily. She began to stumble out of the rubble she'd caused in the Avatar state, tears freezing quietly against her cheeks. A noise bubbled out of her chest. Laughter.

Her legs felt new, too. Alive, but weak. Like she'd have to learn to walk again. But soon they propelled her forward. Faster. She almost reached a sprint by the time she could see Mako's face clearly. He was smiling back, opening his arms to her. Korra hurtled herself into them. Her arms squeezed around his neck, basking in his solid form against her.

She couldn't stop laughing. Or crying. Her body was alight with pure joy and relief. She clung to his neck as she felt Mako spin them. Korra laughed harder.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently. He rested his face against her forehead. Everything about him was warm, and alive.

Korra leaned up and found his mouth with her own. Her fingers clung to the edges of his hair. Holding him still for a long heartbeat. She settled into the moment, breathing him in. Flutters broke out across her body as she felt Mako slowly kiss her back, and nothing else mattered. She'd climbed out of the dark, and they'd found each other on the other side.

Breaking the kiss, she smiled up at him. Nervous. Excited. The chill of the air and Mako's warmth blurred together into something that felt like home. Like friends. A life she didn't think she'd ever see. There was time. There was so much time. She had a future.

* * *

 **End of Book 1**

 **Coming soon...Chapter 16: "Book 2, Revisted"**

Thank you for reading! Thoughts? Comments?

Book 2 and the first chapter of Book 3 will be released at the same time! Stay tuned!


	16. Visitation

**The Sato Estate**

 **(between Books 1 and 2)**

* * *

At the gates leading to the Sato Estate, guards stood solemn watch. Not Sato employees, but grim, steel-armored Republic City Police on twenty-four hour surveillance. President Raiko had taken few chances for the last face of the Equalist movement to flee. Asami had not been formally charged, but she was still a suspected enemy of the state. Decisions had yet to be made about her future. Until today.

Korra approached the estate alongside Chief Beifong, who'd regained her firm authoritative stride, along with her rank. A few weeks ago, Korra and Beifong had watched Amon obliterate their bending and their livelihoods. But Korra regained her control of the elements and the technique to restore bending, resulting in many people's lives being resurrected, along with the world's confidence in the Avatar.

"Miss Sato is well within her rights to receive business correspondence." A thin man in a Future Industries uniform shouted outside of the gate.

Asami's confession had been kept a private matter, the only public statement being that she was cooperating with the police. Few people outside the Council knew that she'd been placed under house arrest.

A burly policeman - one of three - blocked the entrance to the estate and tugged at the envelope, inspecting its edges. "All incoming and outgoing messages need to go through a proper inspection."

"But this is time-sensitive!" the messenger argued, eyeing the envelope anxiously. "Do you have any idea what a board of directors can do to you if they think that you can't do your _one job_?"

The officer glanced up over his glasses with a staunch expression. Apparently, he did not.

Beifong called out as they neared the guardhouse. "Is there a problem?"

Everyone stiffened as they saw the Chief of Police and the Avatar closing in.

"Inspecting correspondence, ma'am." The officer saluted. He nodded to Korra awkwardly. "And…ma'am."

"We'll deliver it," Korra announced.

Beifong reached out with an open palm, waiting until the officer obediently handed it over.

The messenger flapped his hands at them, crying out, "Miss Sato has to sign the marked lines on the first, fourth, and fifth pages!"

"We'll be quick," Korra promised. Snatching the envelope from the Chief, she marched for the gates and fought the urge to sprint as they opened.

She needed to find Asami. Now. Too much of the past few weeks had been wasted on bureaucratic fear and backlash. Her friends - _all_ of her friends - had earned their lives back with blood, sweat, and tears. The least that Korra could do was make sure Asami didn't spend hers trapped behind concrete walls.

* * *

 **Auto Garage on the Sato Estate**

* * *

"Okay. And the line is…here." Bolin grunted from the floor, elbow deep in the undercarriage of the Satomobile. It was propped up on a large metal cylinder bracing it up to shoulder height. "Right?"

Asami turned at the workbench to check. The garage was warm, filled with oil and gas fumes despite the open doors. She could feel the officer looming over her, watching her every move. Squatting down, she eyed where Bolin was pointing with his wrench. "Not quite," she said. "Try again."

"Okay… What about here?" Bolin asked, tapping another tube.

Asami shook her head, directing him with a gloved hand. Her wrist ached with the effort, hurt a little even, but she ignored the weight against her arm. "Try there."

"Where?" He squinted.

"Over there, Bo. I'm pointing right at it."

He disappeared into the piping, and there was a clang, followed by a thud. "…Ow."

"Are you alright?" She scooted closer anxiously, ready to see blood.

"Yeah…just got oil in my eye," Bolin forced out cheerfully. "But I'm good!"

Asami stole a glance at a clock up on the wall. The Future Industries couriers usually arrived within a few minutes of the hour. They were running late.

A distinctive shadow reached out across the floor, followed by the cough of Lin Beifong. "So that speech I gave about not overexerting yourself stuck for, what, five minutes?"

Asami smiled, watching Bolin slowly empty the oil reservoir. "I was going stir-crazy, Chief. How about we call it community service and knock a bit off my inevitable sentence?" Asami didn't look in the Chief's direction till she heard a playful knock from the door.

"Delivery!"

Glancing up, Asami found an unexpected smile aimed at her. "Korra…" she managed out. The burn in her legs made it difficult to stand. She and Bolin had been changing oil for a few hours longer than it would have taken her to do it alone. She hesitated a step or two in front of Korra. "Hi." Asami couldn't help but smile, though it was a tinge anxious.

Korra looked happy. Centered. The calm sea in her eyes reassured Asami that the tone between them would be better than last time. Last time, Korra had been furious with her. Running off with the police without saying a word had apparently been the wrong decision. Asami had left the South Pole to take her punishment, or at least, the beginnings of her punishment. There still hadn't been any formal charges, and the waiting was almost as bad as not being able to leave the estate.

"Hope we're not interrupting," Korra said.

"Not at all." Asami wiped the dust stains along her pants and arms. "Bolin's helping me with some maintenance. And Officer Tam here-" She flashed a charming smile at the man in uniform lurking in the shadows, "-was just about to share his thoughts on adding all terrain capability to the roadster model. Weren't you?" When he responded with more stony silence, her smile grew an edge to it. She snapped her fingers. "No wait, that's right. He was just hovering over my shoulder making sure I'm not plotting to overthrow a government. My mistake."

Korra frowned a little. "Is…everything okay?"

Chief Beifong eyed the disassembled Satomobile. "I would have thought you'd find house arrest to be relaxing," she said.

Asami forced a calm breath. She had not been ready to come back to this house yet. Too many ghosts still clung to its halls, and roaming it for well into a month now had not done her patience any favors.

She decided to tell the lesser truth. "Just in a rush. I'm waiting on a package from the office. It's late."

"Right! Delivery joke. This is for you." Korra handed her a thick envelope emblazoned with the Future Industries logo. "The messenger made it sound important."

"It is. Thank you." Asami sighed, recognizing the weight of it. "It's an asset sales contract," she said, palming it back and forth. "The board is selling off non-essential departments to keep us in the black."

"Can you do anything?" Korra asked.

Asami managed only a shrug as she stared down at the unopened document. Perhaps if she stared long enough it would just go away. "If I don't make an appearance with the board soon, they're going to cut their losses and sell off the rest of Future Industries piece by piece. It doesn't lend much confidence when their new CEO can't leave her house."

"We might be able to help with that, actually." Korra fought a smirk. "I've been talking it over with the Council-"

"Call it what it was," Beifong muttered.

Korra set a sheepish hand to the back of her own neck. "…I've been _vigorously negotiating_ with the Council, and President Raiko has agreed to release you into my custody."

"What does that mean?" Asami asked.

Korra's smile grew. "It means that you can come and go as you please. No more house arrest."

"But you'll be responsible for me," Asami ventured.

"I won't be breathing over your shoulder every minute of the day. I already vouched for you."

"Repeatedly," Beifong muttered. She gave a nod to Officer Tam, and he wandered out of the garage. "Consider your release probationary. But if you behave yourself, we'll drop our investigation."

"Hey hey!" Bolin slid out from under the car. "That's great!" He slapped a hug around Asami's shoulders. He pulled back and Asami felt an engine grease stain seep against her skin. Her shirt was smeared. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I can fix it!" Bolin thrust a towel at her in a panic.

Asami took it with chuckle. "It's okay, Bo."

"What were you helping Asami with?" Korra asked.

"Just putting my natural talents to good use." Bolin puffed up his chest, flinging a rag over his shoulder. "Asami says I'm a regular grease monkey-marmot."

"I used _one_ of those words," Asami agreed, smirking.

He deflated a little at that, but his mood remained bright. He waved a vague hand at Korra. "You and Mako have a been a little scarce lately, so I figured, us third wheels should maybe stick together."

Korra cast a timid eye at Asami.

"Bolin already told me that you were seeing each other," she said gently.

It didn't seem to ease her discomfort at the subject. "I haven't seen much of him, either," Korra shrugged. "If it makes you two feel any better."

"Fire Ferret practices are going great, by the way." Bolin tried to sound enthused. "The new guys are just…they're just great. You and Mako should see them. We'll be back in fighting shape in no time."

"Glad to hear it," Korra said, not catching the strain in his smile. His friends were doing important things. Asami knew he didn't want to get in the way, or air his grievances when things were just starting to settle down.

"How are you and Mako?" Asami asked. She had avoided asking even Bolin.

Korra stumbled over the question. "We don't…we don't have to talk about that if you don't want to."

Asami kept her smile friendly. "I asked."

With a nod, she searched for the answer. "Mako's neck deep studying for the policeman's exam. He's holed up in his room a lot, but he's good. We're good."

"I'm glad to hear that."

She meant it.

At the South Pole, Asami had convinced herself that sending Mako after Korra was a noble gesture. She wanted them both to be happy. And if they found happiness together, then maybe that was for the best. Korra had found her center, her power. And Mako was supporting her as they all figured out what their futures held.

But a relentless whisper at the corner of her thoughts replayed that day at the cliff. What she'd heard secondhand. What she'd seen between Mako and Korra. Would today look different if she had asked Mako to stay and work out what had remained of their relationship? What if it had been Asami standing in the snow when Korra had found herself again?

"Seems like you could hand in those papers yourself, now," Korra said.

Sliding her fingers along the envelope's edge, Asami smiled anxiously. "If some of the board members are still at the office, I might be able to catch them." She met Korra's eyes and pushed down the flutter in her chest. "Korra, thank you," she said, "I owe you so much."

Korra shook her head. "No scorecard, okay?"

Asami forced a breath, nodding quietly. In the last few weeks, her world had gotten so small. Gripping tight around her chest, suffocating her. Now that she was finally out from under its weight, she felt a desperate, familiar pang.

There was another cough from Beifong. "I'll collect my men and we'll get out of your hair," she said. She reached out to Asami. "Hands," she gruffly requested.

The ache at Asami's wrists had almost grown dull, until she began to slip off her work gloves. Strapped to either wrist was a thick steel manacle. Easy to control by the metalbender police, should Asami attempt to make a break for it. Despite the abrasive pain, Asami had tried to ignore them by keeping herself busy. But the more she moved, sweat, and twisted, the more they scraped.

She offered her hands to Beifong, palms up, all the while avoiding Korra's eyes. The cuffs were unmistakable proof of her crimes, branding her mistakes for everyone to see. For Korra to see. Somewhere small, and dark, and paranoid, Asami was afraid that if she met Korra's eyes, she'd only find the Avatar staring down a criminal.

Beifong swiped a fist over Asami's cuffs, and they slapped together with a clang. Asami fidgeted at the sudden loss of control. The Chief put her other hand beneath the cuffs for support, and opened her fist into a clawed gesture, palm up. The shackles wrenched open at her command, and the skin revealed beneath was raw where they had chafed and dug in.

"Asami, what happened?" With a wince, Korra reached for her hands.

"I had work to do," Asami said, trying to shrug.

The Chief lowered to a knee, rolling up Asami's pant leg to collect the steel cuffs at her ankles. "I warned her," Beifong said, almost gently.

Korra turned Asami's wrists over, frowning at the rough bruising. No judgement. No anger. Why had Asami been so frightened? The dust of war had settled, and Korra was still standing there. Still fighting for her. Bolin was still beside her, grinning and encouraging her to savor what she'd managed to salvage of her life. Mako was still reassuring her, calling the house in the empty early mornings that he knew were the hardest.

Asami had almost forgotten what family was supposed to feel like. She'd never doubted her mother's fierce, kind love. But she was gone. Hiroshi had sacrificed so much for what he'd believed to be justice that he had given up trying to be a father. Asami's childhood had been lonely. And quiet. She had grown comfortable into that familiar coldness. It was simple there. No one to let in. No one to force her to care.

But the struggles of the last year had clawed through that ice. Left her starved for comfort. For contact. A month of limited visitation, of cold and quiet nights that she'd once been accustomed to, had now worn away at her. She had people to lose. People she would throw her life down for without thinking twice.

She had family.

And that family still wanted her.

Without thinking, without hesitating, she threw herself forward. Arms sought Korra and hugged her close. She felt a gentle hand on her back, and bit back a heavy sob at her throat.

"Everything's going to be okay," Korra promised softly, squeezing her a little tighter.

Asami wanted to believe every word.

"Let's head up to the house," Korra said. "I'll patch you up." Strong arms slipped around Asami's shoulders, leading her out of the garage. She sunk into the comfort of it, a warm glow rising up to her ears.

* * *

 **Chapter 17 Coming soon**

Thank you for reading! Thoughts? Comments?

Cand the first chapter of Book 3 will be released at the same time! Stay tuned!


	17. Comfort

**17: Comfort**

(between Books 1 and 2)

* * *

 _ **(Mako's Apartment)**_

There was a soft breath over the line before Mako heard Asami's voice. "Hello?"

"There's a lot more math on this study guide than I was expecting," Mako sighed. Collapsing back onto the couch, he mopped his shoulders with a towel. Alternating between pushups and studying flash cards had kept him awake up till now. He was on hour six of his cram session.

"Anything I can help with?" Asami asked.

"Just got to work through it." The table in front of Mako was strewn with the police exam materials: arithmetic, logic problems, critical thinking. He'd never studied this much in his life. But he _was_ used to pushing himself. He and Bolin had barely gone to school before they'd had to fend for themselves. Not sure where their next meal was coming from, Mako had taken it upon himself to teach his little brother to read. If the Triads had ever left them out to dry, they'd be able to survive. Hold down jobs. Defend themselves with more than just a punch.

"I heard you're a free woman now," he said, balancing the phone's receiver cup against his shoulder. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." He heard a smile on Asami's lips. "You all went above and beyond."

Mako took care of his own. "We promised, didn't we?"

He picked up one of his test books and flipped to the next section, finding another two-page fact pattern. An officer called in a dispute between two produce vendors. A 'he said, she said' situation. He needed to identify evidence, parse out witness testimonies, and establish if any crimes that had been committed. "Hope I didn't wake you," he said, scanning the page.

"You didn't," Asami lied. He was starting to pick up an ear for it. "It's hard to sleep when the house feels so big."

He frowned into the phone. All these weeks and he hadn't made the trek up to the Sato estate to visit yet. The world had gotten busy, but Mako couldn't delude himself that much. He hadn't been sure how welcome he'd be. Parting on good terms, on the fact that they cared for each other, was a positive step. Turning around and starting to date Korra was something else they'd have to work out. Asami had been locked up, nearly sent to prison. And now she'd been left on her own, while he and Korra were free to figure out what kind of life they could build together. "If you want some company, we could come over," he offered.

"Oh, is Korra there with you?" she asked.

Mako scooted up on the couch. "No, uh...I didn't mean…" Of course Asami knew that they were dating. She and Korra were close, Bolin was up at the house every other day, and Asami had a functioning brain. "It's just Bo and me at the apartment," Mako said quickly. "We could call Korra, too, if you wanted."

A fleeting heartbeat of silence. "I think I'll be okay tonight. Thank you, though."

Mako nodded, alone in the room.

"You don't you have to feel awkward," she said. "About Korra. I've known for a while."

Wincing, he leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "I should have told you in person," he said. "Or at all."

Asami laughed quietly. "Well, it's out there now."

Even across the telephone line, across the entire city from her, Mako could feel an easy closeness that he'd missed. Asami was a person again. She wasn't a threat. She wasn't a question. Right now, a smile over the telephone felt more real than any of the phantom pains left from their hard words or their dredged up secrets.

There was something to build back up here. Something important to him.

"The exam is in a few days," he said. "I'll be free for a long while after that, if you're up for a visit."

"We never got around to taking that trip to the shore," she suggested. "You and Korra, Bolin, me. We can celebrate you finishing your work."

It sounded nice. Mako couldn't remember the last time they had all been in the same place together. The four of them, out in the world with no lives on the line, no war to fight. It'd be cold at the coast, but it'd be peaceful. "Don't you have a company to run?"

"I could pretend to be normal for a weekend," Asami said with a smile.

"Maybe we all can," Mako agreed.

* * *

 _ **(The Beach on Republic Bay)**_

Perched on the sand-smoothed beach rocks, Asami took a moment to admire the shoreline. If she closed her eyes, her world filled with the rhythm of distant seabirds crying out and the rumble of crashing waves. It was early afternoon and the sun still hung low, battling the chill with its warm light. Winter was thawing.

She could only risk a moment's glance from her notebook. Pretending to be normal had not lasted long. Even when she was supposed to be relaxing, there seemed no end in sight to her apology tour. Her first mission was restoring the Board of Investor's confidence in Future Industries. Her speech tomorrow had to be perfect. Inspirational. Convincing. Not a complete train wreck, at the least.

But right now, none of those described her company's prospects. A former CEO in prison for treason. His replacement only just released from police custody. Stocks plummeting as the world lost trust in her company and its once great innovators.

At her side, Jinora sat quietly. The girl was engrossed in a massive novel on her lap.

"Are you sure you don't want to go in the water?" Asami offered.

A heavy splash echoed from the beach, followed by laughter. Bolin had bent a pillar of rock to jut up out of the waves for a pickup game of 'king on the mountain'. Meelo's head popped out of the water, grinning wildly where he'd plummeted from the rock. His sister Ikki had roosted on Naga's shoulders, balancing herself confidently and preparing to leap in after him. Mako and Bolin, ostensibly the adults in the situation, were busy roughhousing nearby.

"I'm in the middle of a chapter," Jinora said, gently flipping the page.

Asami nodded, still scanning the game. She didn't see Korra with the boys anymore.

 _Stop noticing things like that._

Taking a deep inhale of salt air, she continued composing her pleas to the Board:

 _I will not allow decades of our company's hard work, heart, and innovation to buckle under the pressure of scandal and politics._

She had to distance herself from the Equalists. From her father. And she'd succeeded for the most part; no one knew of her ties to the movement. The worst thing she'd heard from the bureaucratic rumor mill was that the Board saw her as a child. A scared little girl riding the frayed coattails of daddy's legacy, with no real understanding of their company.

 _Future Industries was founded on the vision that we would lead Republic City to a prosperous future, and that we would mold and shape that horizon. I have a vision of my own. It's true that Future Industries will help to forge the path of the next century, but that future will be one that we earn, and that we are proud of._

Asami wanted so desperately to prove she meant every word she'd written. But they were only platitudes and empty promises if she couldn't present a concrete strategy for the coming year. Right now, it was hard to imagine what even the next few weeks would look like.

A long shadow stretched out across Asami's speech notes, cooling the heat of the sun on her neck. " _That_ does not look like vacation," Korra chided. "You're ruining your beach time."

Asami could feel Korra looming over her shoulder, but she didn't turn. Korra's abrupt entrance was a bit startling, and she suddenly needed to recollect her thoughts. "There's too much to do," she sighed. "I've been out of commission for too long."

"You promised Mako you'd try to relax."

"Will it violate my probation?" Asami muttered. The question came out harsher than she'd meant it to.

"No," Korra ventured, "but it violates my rules about fun." There was a smile on the teasing words, but Asami didn't dare look up for it. The playfulness between them, the flirting, or what had seemed like flirting before, suddenly felt inappropriate. Asami had promised herself that she'd give Korra the space she needed with Mako.

Asami thought that she could balance her life. But Korra's friendly visits to the estate had been replaced by daily check-ins at her office. She saw Korra more often, which would have been nice, had the real reason for the visit not always cast a shadow.

Work at Future Industries and the duties of the Avatar were digging into any other time the girls could use to figure each other out again, to settle into something resembling friends. She couldn't tell Korra how frustrated she felt. If she did, it would only come out as "I miss you," and Asami couldn't open that up again.

A good friend would not be anxious seeing Korra in a happy relationship. A good friend would be supportive and considerate.

It was frustrating to even manage that. Asami found it uncomfortably easy to write Korra off as a parole officer. If she was an annoyance, then Asami could try to ignore her, or Mako, or everything she'd given up to be the bigger person.

There was a loud squeal over Asami's head, and as she flinched from it as a pudgy baby in a sun-hat was lowered onto her lap. "Oh...um…" Baby Rohan kicked out, knocking her notes every which-way. When he started to tumble, Asami instinctively caught him. Her hands clung around his belly. "Uh...hello there."

Rohan gurgled up at her from under the wide brim of his hat.

When Korra's bare feet stepped into view, Asami finally gave in and searched up for some sign of reassurance that Korra had _intended_ to leave the baby there. She found a smile waiting for her: a goofy, self-assured smile that made the day all the prettier. The beach couldn't have had the decency to be gloomy today?

Asami let out a quiet exhale and tried to relax. Her free hand - the one not holding the baby steady - lifted to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun. "Weren't you out in the water with the others?" she asked. "Sounds like they have quite a game going."

Korra braced both hands on her hips, throwing a shrug. "Meelo of the Mountain over there said I couldn't play anymore," she grumbled, half-seriously. She rolled her neck slowly, as if stretching. "Guess they just can't handle the Avatar in the mix."

Asami recognized that competitive streak. "You being the Avatar had very little to do with it, I suspect."

"What, you mean they couldn't handle _these?_ " Korra teased, dramatically flexing her arms. She grinned as every muscle up to her neck went taut.

Asami's mouth went a little dry. She looked down at Rohan to focus. "Among other things," she smirked.

On her lap, Rohan giggled and tried to clap, but he kept missing his hands.

Korra's grin widened. "Rohan likes them."

"You're in my light," Jinora muttered from near Korra's feet.

Lifting her hands apologetically, Korra slid down to sit next to them on the rocky sand. Further down the beach, she had stripped off her boots and most of her furs. Large swathes of dark skin were now exposed to the sun. Before now, Asami hadn't seen her take off so much as a sleeve to leap into the bay, or the bending arena's pool. She took it as a good sign. At least Korra was managing to relax a little. Let her guard down. Something she could afford to do now that the city was safe.

With a casual breath, Asami caught the scent of salt and sea air mixed with what she recognized as Korra's skin. Rohan twisted around to focus on Korra, too, and the notebook pages crumpled underneath his bare little baby feet. Asami fought a wince at her speech and forced a stiff smile to the little boy.

"What are you working on?" Korra asked.

"I'm trying to pitch a five-year plan for kick-starting Future Industries," Asami said. She gingerly pried the pages out from underneath Rohan and set them aside. "But you're right. I need to stop looking at it for a little." Truth be told, there wasn't much writing to be done now that she was distracted from all sides.

"That's the spirit," Korra nodded, staring out at the water.

Rohan reached out and tried to wriggle away towards Korra. "Easy there," Asami cooed. He kept squirming.

"Just hold onto him," Korra instructed. She cast a mock frown at the little boy. "He needs to get used to other people."

"How about Mako?" Asami suggested. He and Rohan had gotten along famously before. Maybe they could pawn the baby off on him.

" _Officer_ Mako is being a pain right now."

Asami caught the real scowl creeping onto Korra's face. "What happened?"

Korra seemed to decide that the pebbles beneath her bare feet were very interesting all of a sudden. "We had a fight this morning." She nudged at the ground with a toe. "The police exam's over, but he's been hiding away in his apartment, still studying. I barely see him. Did he ever get like that with you? Lost in his own head?"

A twinge spread across Asami's jaw as she struggled for her pai sho face. She managed a nod. "Mako would disappear for days before a big probending match," she said. "He's nervous. He wants to do a good job. I'd say just cut him a little slack."

Slumping her shoulders, Korra pulled her knees up to hug them. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to answer things like that."

Asami watched Korra's bare feet tap against the ground. "Are you sure everything's okay?" she asked.

"Fine. Everything's fine." It was clear that more words were simmering under the surface, but Korra blew out a sigh and returned her attention to baby Rohan. She reached out and held his tiny thumb. "A convoy from the Northern Water Tribe is coming to Republic City," she said. "My uncle Unalaq is coming with them."

"The Northern Chief?"

Korra nodded. "Yeah, I don't think my dad is very happy about it."

"So your parents will be here? That'll be nice." Asami caught a flicker of a look. "Won't it?"

"It'll be nice to see them," Korra agreed, "but my dad doesn't get along with Unalaq very well. I don't know what'll happen."

"I'm sure you can handle it," Asami promised. The baby fidgeted in her grasp again, letting out little mewling noises like he would burst into tears any second. "I don't think he likes me much," she muttered.

Rohan was warm, his skin soft as silk. Such a new, tiny life, experiencing the world around him for the first time. He'd never seen the beach before, never been this far from his mother's side, or from his quiet little life on Air Temple Island.

Asami became suddenly aware of how delicate Rohan was. Her grip on him made her anxious. She ducked her head around his little wide-brimmed hat to enter his view. "Where's your mama, huh?"

"Mama needed a break," Korra said. She threw an eye down the beach. "She's earned it."

In the distance, Pema held Tenzin's hand as they walked along the coastline, waves kicking up around their feet. They looked tired, but happy. It seemed like Pema hadn't had a moment to rest since little Rohan was born. She deserved every minute of peace she could manage.

Korra stretched her arms up over her head and let out a big yawn. Asami's eyes drifted to muscles as they rolled with the motion, and she fought that familiar hitch in her throat. The Avatar's life was dedicated to spiritual enlightenment and moral strength, but Korra pushed herself physically, too. For a moment, Asami felt guilty for admiring the view. She had kept her distance from Korra out of respect. Then again, keeping her distance didn't mean Asami was dead.

Korra leaned back on her hands as her smile grew for Rohan.

"I babysat for Pema and Tenzin every chance I got when they'd visit the South Pole," Korra said. "This is air baby number _four_ I've helped out with." She reached for one of Rohan's chubby hands and squeezed it playfully. "And now his siblings are old enough that they can help take turns on the nights he wakes up all fussy."

"Which is every night," Jinora muttered from behind her book.

Asami chuckled. "Is he that much of a handful?"

Out in the surf, Ikki screamed as she hurled herself off Naga's back in an airbent cannonball.

"He comes from the same stock as those two," Korra said, beaming. "What do you think?"

"Do you get any sleep?" Asami asked.

"Not as much as I'd like, but that's ok. I like kids." Scooting up closer, Korra puffed her cheeks out at Rohan. It got a giggle out of the boy, and it melted Asami's heart just a bit.

"Helps that he's pretty cute," Korra said through another goofy expression. "Cuter than _Jinora_ was at his age, anyway."

"Hey." Jinora shot the Avatar a well-practiced glare over the top of her book.

"You looked like a cabbage," Korra insisted.

"How do you remember _anything_ from when I was a baby?" the girl demanded. She lowered her novel onto her lap. "You're barely older than I am."

Korra's eyes scrunched up. "I remember your cabbage head pretty well!" Her smile grew sheepish when she turned to Asami. "There _might_ have been supervision..."

"I'm sure you were the model of responsible childcare." Asami propped Rohan up by his armpits and started inching him to the edge of her lap. "Now please take the baby before I drop him or he throws up on my speech."

"Come here, little guy." Korra snatched up Rohan as casually as she would a sack of rice. It was bizarre how calm she seemed right now. Sure, she teased, and played rough, and cheated, but she was never unkind. She loved these kids like family. In a metaphysical sense, Asami supposed they were.

Propping Rohan on her lap, Korra held him firm. "Baby's aren't that hard. You sing to them when they're upset, you feed them when they're hungry..."

"Sing?" Asami smiled, raising a brow as she watched Korra bounce the little boy on her knees. It had never occurred to Asami that Korra liked to sing. It was a lovely image. She envied that Rohan had gotten to hear her.

Korra caught Asami's smile, and her cheeks flared up in a blush. "Only for babies," she warned. "They can't complain." She focused on the little puff of hair on the little boy's head to keep herself busy. "He makes a lot of noise, but he just wants to tell you when something's wrong. He's so little that he doesn't understand what's happening to him. He doesn't know how to ask for help."

"Does anybody?" Asami mused. There was no war to fight, no enemies or armies to know by the mark of their flag or their words of hate. Wars were simple: fight together, call for help when you get outnumbered, remind yourself of what you could lose and keep on fighting. Living was a lot harder. Her friendships with Korra and Mako had been forged in pain and stress. And now, they had to figure out how to exist in the dull calm between.

"Promise me you'll talk to Mako, okay?"

With a reluctant nod, Korra cast her eye out to the water.

* * *

 _ **(Presidential Estate of Republic City)**_

Surrounded by iron gates and lush gardens, the new Presidential Estate sat nestled between the high rises of Republic City. Rather than retreating to the mountains, like the rich and famous, the newly elected President Raiko wanted to 'remain near the people'. 'Near the people' apparently also included an armed escort and patrols around his property.

A special wing of the police force had been set aside especially for Raiko's protection. Korra counted each Republic Secret Service badge on their way up the path towards the house. At least ten that she could see.

Mako squeezed her hand gently. "This'll be good for both of us," he promised. His free hand fiddled with his collar to smooth it out.

This was his third time tonight trying to convince her to stop being sour. Why should she be upset over getting dragged to another symbolic event for 'the good of Republic City'?

"Raiko just wants to parade me around like a trophy," Korra muttered. "His election supporters get to gawk at the Avatar, and you'll be stuck on the Avatar's arm for the whole night being poked and prodded about what it's like to be my boyfriend."

Mako's smile was patient. "Being Avatar means you have obligations to the city. It would have been really impolite to turn down his invitation. And Raiko just wants to show that he's got confidence in you. "

"I swear you and Tenzin have the same speech writer…" They hit the final run of stairs and stepped towards the massive archway leading inside. Security was checking guests at the door. Eyes all turned as party guests began to notice that the Avatar had arrived. Korra plastered on a thin smile.

They passed through the Secret Service at the door with minimal manhandling, and Mako returned to Korra's side and found her hand again. "Beifong suggested that I turn it into a networking opportunity," he added. "Some upper police brass are supposed to be here with her. If I can put in some face time with them, I could get myself noticed. Might be good for my career."

" _Lin Beifong_ said 'networking opportunity'?"

Mako shrugged. "It might have been more like 'Go bother some of my deputies for once, kid'."

With a chuckle, Korra playfully nudged into his arm. Gentle strings wafted from inside as they were greeted by the massive foyer. By itself, the room could have been a small palace. Every staircase and column was smoothly carved in stone. Partygoers had already filled the room, and filtered out into carved doors leading to the dining and sitting areas.

Korra scanned the room, finding vaguely recognizable faces amid the crowd. Heads of industry, politicians, the ambiguously wealthy. People she'd spent dozens of dinners and galas schmoozing with since she'd moved to the city. At the end of the room she found one of what looked like several buffet tables, piled with gourmet delicacies. Catching a whiff of caramelized vegetables and grilled meats under the cloud of expensive perfumes, she began to formulate a plan of attack.

"If I can prove that I'm more than the Avatar's boyfriend," Mako said into her ear, "you can prove you're not a trophy. Can you try to tough it out?"

Korra sighed. "Alright."

He smiled down at her with a warmth she couldn't help but return. "Thank you. I love you." Calmed by the shift back to comfort between them, Mako leaned down to her.

Korra pushed up on her toes to meet the kiss. "I love you, too," she said.

* * *

Setting up camp at one of several buffet tables, Korra began to construct an elaborate stack of pickled and smoked appetizers. She stuffed them in a soft barley roll, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone who passed. Adding to the many reasons she couldn't just slip out and escape: her dress didn't have pockets to take her dinner on the road.

"Avatar Korra!" Raiko's baritone called out to her, and she felt the obligation to offer the president a tentative smile. She looked down at the five inches of piled sandwich still balanced precariously in her hands. Long before he reached her, Raiko reached out instinctively to greet her with a handshake. Korra hurriedly smashed the bread roll shut and passed it to the older man behind her in the buffet line. He seemed surprised, but didn't question it as Korra stepped away from the table.

"Evening, President Raiko," she extended a hand.

Raiko quickly snatched it up in his firm two-handed grip. "I'm so pleased you could make it, my friend."

Korra hadn't spoken much to Raiko over the last year. In fact, they'd barely given each other a thought until Amon had been defeated and the councilman suddenly clinched the new position of president. Then, they spent time together at crowded parties just like this, where they smiled big smiles and celebrated together for the benefit of the press. This all felt even more like a performance than usual, as Korra caught sight of the couple standing behind Raiko, waiting to be introduced. The older man was grizzled but well dressed, and his much younger blue-eyed companion was holding his arm too close to be his daughter.

On cue, Raiko turned to present the pair. "Korra, I don't believe you've met Han and Ji Wén."

"Uh, no, I haven't." Korra nodded. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Hi." She was greeted by a pair of quick and eager handshakes.

"A real pleasure, Avatar Korra," Mr. Wén insisted.

His wife Jin practically bounced on her heels. "An absolute pleasure," she burst out, "We've heard such impressive things from Raiko, we could scarcely believe most of it!"

Korra eyed the young woman curiously. "Well, I-"

"It's all true," Raiko declared. He threw an arm around Korra's shoulder in a quick, supportive hug. "She practically saved the whole city single-handedly!"

Korra fought the rush of blood to her face. "Not by myself," she said gently.

Mr. Wén stepped close to her, leaning in as though his words were of the most important, confidential nature. "We'd very much like to discuss with you a partnership with our shipping fleet."

Ah, that was it. She'd seen a number of ships heading to the Fire Nation with the Wén name plastered all over the side. Garish things.

Mr. Wén continued. "The endorsement of the Avatar could be a tremendous morale boost to the city. Seeing the savior of Republic City supporting trade and prosperity with the other kingdoms; it would be a windfall for anyone with a stake in our economy."

"Uh, endorsement?" she repeated. "What would that mean?"

"Just a few tasteful advertisements," Mrs. Wén chimed in. "Statements to the press expressing your confidence in Wén TransOceanic, some public appearances with our flagships."

Korra frowned. "I'm not really sure I'd have the time for all that."

The Wéns both looked at her like she was speaking a different language. As though how could any sane person pass up such a generous offer?

"Republic City is honored and delighted to be the home of the Avatar." Raiko said, breaking the pause, "And Korra spends most of her days proving she feels the same way."

With a polite, halfhearted smile, Korra nodded. "Can I think about it?" she asked them.

Both Wéns lit up again. "Of course, my dear," Mr. Wén said, "But we can talk about that later. We are dying to hear tell of your exploits with the Equalists! Valiant bravery, by the sounds of it."

"Positively heart-pounding!" Jin insisted.

Korra stifled a sigh. More demands for glorious battle stories. People like Han and Jin Wén didn't want to hear about how exhausting the last year had been. How terrifying. All the lives she'd seen destroyed by the Equalists. How much pain and panic had surged through her when Amon has stripped her bending. No, they wanted the heroic young Avatar tearing through the Equalist forces, saving the city through her might and sheer force of will. They wanted a bedtime story.

Before she could refuse, or more likely, relent with some watered-down account of the conflict, Raiko politely stepped between them. "Now, Han, Avatar Korra has already been so gracious with her time. How about we let her enjoy the party for a little while."

At the thought of being left alone, Korra felt like she could breathe again. But as the Wéns trailed back into the swarm of party-goers, President Raiko leaned in to speak.

"There are a few more campaign supporters who would very much like to meet you," he said, "Would you mind giving them just a few moments?" Such a shrewd man; Raiko was always thinking of the next election.

"No, I guess not," Korra said, that anxious tightness climbing her throat again. She was getting cornered for the evening, she just knew it.

"Wonderful! I'll be back soon." Raiko patted her on the back and disappeared into the crowd to fish out another 'admirer'.

* * *

If Raiko had thrown this party to bolster his presidency and fill his campaign coffers, then why was Korra the only person anybody seemed interested in? She felt trapped in a zoo, everyone's eyes on her, prodding her to entertain them.

Wave after wave of high-society gawkers tried to puff themselves up by being seen with the Avatar. Entrepreneurs with more endorsement offers, business people and their chatter about how the Equalist uprising hurt or even helped their profit margins. The idly rich with nothing better to do than imagine the suffering of others with a detached fascination.

"Tell us the story again, Avatar Korra. It's so exciting when you tell it."

"Oh, um, ok. So, Amon was actually-"

"Is it true that underneath his mask, he had fashioned his teeth into fangs?"

"...What?"

"Will you be staying in the City now that Amon has been defeated?"

"I think so, but that wasn't really why I came to Republic-"

"What does bending fire feel like?"

"Which one of those handsome officers is your beau, dear?"

"If you'd come by the factory, you could really get a sense of how much good we do for the city..."

"Have you tasted these goji-berry-stuffed mushrooms? They're divine!"

"I heard the Equalists had rigged their own hideaways to collapse and explode if the Republic Police came calling. Better to die for the cause than be taken in by the authorities. Fascinating, don't you think?"

"What does a spirit look like, exactly?"

"And all the Equalists were hiding under the estate?"

"...of course, we'd have a few photographers. To build up spirits, of course. Positive publicity for us both!"

Swarming like locusts, they filled an hour with their barrage of questions. Then another.

Korra forced herself to breathe as Raiko ushered away yet another 'head of his industry'; a man who, as they all had, wanted to show off how good his prospects were in the wake of the Equalist uprising. With a second to breathe, Korra turned her back on the party to stare out a nearby window. Trying to seem busy, or maybe hide at the empty windowsill. When she felt someone side up to her, she focused all her energy on not making eye contact.

"Asami," Raiko called out from a distance, "You look lovely. Thank you for joining us."

Confused, Korra turned and found that it had been Asami quietly standing beside her.

She looking stunning. Not that that was new, but the dress was. Elegant scarlet, laced in gold. Satin gloves to match, sweeping up her arms as she held a champagne flute. Her short, modern skirt hugged at the right spots and gracefully swayed as she moved. It was made for dancing.

Without a word, Asami left Korra at the window. "Thank you for the invitation, Mr. President." She offered a warm smile to Raiko.

"It's so encouraging to see Future Industries getting back on its feet," Raiko said. "I imagine you're to thank for that."

"We're pushing ourselves beyond our best, I hope." Asami glanced over at Korra and nodded a hello. It was polite. Neutral. Korra fought off the chill she felt from the gesture. What was going on with her?

"The party's been delightful so far," Asami continued, scanning the room with another sip. "Quite a few new faces."

He chuckled. "You've been to enough of these to know, my dear. I'm trying to expand our relationships beyond the province. We've invited every investor and entrepreneur from the Earth Kingdom that would take my call."

"I've met several already," she said, nodding. "They were keen to speak to me. Apparently my reputation proceeds me."

"Time with Asami Sato is a rare and precious commodity these days," Raiko flattered. "I hope they're spending it well."

"Thank you, Mr. President. I'm making a point to put in appearances with everyone I can."

"Korra's been quite a trooper with that tonight, as well."

Korra shrugged as their eyes fell to her. "Just doing my part," she said.

"I know there are quite a few characters tonight," Raiko laughed. "You two should compare notes."

"The house looks lovely," Asami said, quickly changing the subject. Asami studied the window Korra had been contemplating sneaking out of. "You've done something different with the moulding."

Korra had wanted to be left in peace, but Asami blatantly ignoring her like this left a weight in her stomach. She stayed quiet and out of the chatter.

"Thank you, dear," Raiko said. "I'm afraid I can't help with the details of all that. My better half has more of an eye for design than I do. She spearheaded the entire remodeling."

"It's been ages since I've been back here. The last time you hosted a party was during one of the Council election cycles, right? I seem to remember a troupe of fireweavers that evening..."

"Ah yes," Raiko mused, snagging a champagne flute for himself off a passing waiter. "In retrospect, not the finest party I've thrown. One of those poor boys was so nervous he nearly charred the buffet table."

Korra's stomach rumbled at the mention of food, and she watched Asami laugh at the memory. She and Raiko continued to reminisce over other galas and parties, as though nothing had changed from that lifetime ago. As though Asami had not just been under house arrest. As though, before that, she hadn't secretly conspired to tear down everything Raiko represented.

So little of Asami's life lately had given her reason to be as happy as she seemed right now. Was she trying to push it all down and forget it? Was it more comfortable to slip back into the lie, to ignore Korra like she was just another figurehead at one of Raiko's parties? Was that making her feel better?

Music began to drown out their small talk, and Korra's stomach dragged her attention towards the buffet line. At a nearby bar, she saw Mako neck deep in a crowd of drunken, laughing police officers. He politely took shallow sips of his drink, not caring to keep pace with them. He seemed to be fitting in just fine, too. After a moment, he found Korra's gaze and offered a smile, but he caught something in her expression. He frowned, silently questioning if she was ok.

Korra mustered a reassuring nod at him to stay where he was. Only a few more hours. She could keep the pageantry going a little longer.

"Ladies, please excuse me," Raiko interjected. "I'm afraid I'm being flagged down by one of my staff." He gently took Asami's hand.

"Of course," Asami said, her smile understanding.

He passed his handshake to Korra. "Please enjoy the rest of your evening. Let me know if there's anything I can do." The president's bodyguards turned on their heels and followed him across the room.

Korra and Asami stood an arm's length apart, the music and noise of the party filling the silence between them.

"I didn't know you were coming to this," Korra said finally. She took a step closer to give their words some privacy.

Asami kept her eyes on the crowds that ebbed around them. All the while wearing that polite, detached smile. "Sorry I didn't check in. I'll try to be more considerate next time I go out."

"You don't have to check in with me," Korra insisted.

"Are you still reporting on me to Chief Beifong?" Asami's words were icy beneath her civil tone.

"Not for much longer, I promise." She and Beifong barely managed a five-minute conversation each week. And it almost always ended with Korra complaining how pointless it was to follow Asami around like a suspect. "How about I come over to the house tomorrow?" Korra offered. "No agenda, no reports."

"Can't," Asami said. Too quickly. "Work's been busy the last couple weeks. Luckily, the CEO office is practically a hotel suite."

Korra nodded. There couldn't be something so interesting out in that crowd that Asami couldn't waste a moment making eye contact. "Asami," she started, "are you-"

"I'm sorry," Asami interrupted. "I just remembered that there's an Earth kingdom defense contractor I promised to rub elbows with."

"They must be sore by now," Korra smirked.

The smile Asami allowed herself was thin, strained. "I'll see you around." She gently slipped away, that skirt made for dancing rippling around her. She nearly fled into the tide of the party.

Korra stood alone, tension clinging to her chest as she replayed the few seconds Asami had acknowledged she was alive. She'd thought that they'd made peace. Despite the tangled mess of their relationships with Mako, she thought that they'd managed to stay friends. Either Korra had completely misread their talks, or something else was going on with Asami.

There was a thunderclap of laughter from the police officers, well into their next round of drinks. One of them patted Mako soundly on the back, and he nearly choked on his drink. Beifong stood beside him, low-key but keeping a calm eye on her officers. Despite how many higher-ranking police officers surrounded him, Mako has a confident air about him. He was blending right in.

She felt petty thinking that.

It wasn't long before she caught the royal purple of Raiko's silk coat amid the crowd. He was trailed by his guards, and a trio of strangers. More supporters of his campaign, no doubt, with more inane questions, and more complete disregard for reality.

She needed air. She needed to get out of here. Dodging around a crowd of people, she avoided Raiko's line of sight. The ends of the buffet table were lined with pastries and fruit pieces. Korra bunched a handful up into a cloth napkin and ducked into a hallway, moving quickly towards quieter corners of the house.

* * *

She managed to stay hidden for several songs before being interrupted.

"There you are," Mako said, wandering into the study. "Thought I'd lost you."

Korra had turned a large high-backed chair towards the window, blocking her from prying eyes in the doorway, distracting her with the cool air from outside. It was something resembling relaxing. The room, with its untouched but meticulously dusted bookshelves, held only the most muted of echoes from the party. For all Korra knew, they were a quarter of a mile from the main room.

"What are you doing in here?" Mako asked.

"Eating. Finally." Korra tore another chunk of bread apart in her fingers. "I don't...I don't wanna be here anymore. Can we go?"

"I could use a few more minutes, if that's okay." Mako circled the chair and found her scowling. "What's wrong?"

"This place is insane," Korra muttered. "These people are insane!"

He shrugged. "I don't know, they seem nice enough."

"Half of them only want to know how I defeated the 'great spirit-monster' Amon."

"I thought you liked telling the story..."

"The others are so out of touch that they don't care about anything that's happened. All they understand is profits, advertising, _networking opportunities_..." She avoided his eyes at that last one. "I can't answer any more stupid questions. Are they asking you really stupid questions?"

Mako winced a little, knowing his answer might be the wrong one. "Mostly about what I think of the new security measures."

Korra huffed. "Well at least one of us is being taken seriously."

"They take you seriously," he insisted, "You're the Avatar."

"I'm the thing that keeps them safe," she complained, "so they don't have to worry about defending themselves from spirits or crazy cults. They didn't have to do anything to win their safety. Because the Avatar's there to protect them."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Korra glared up at him. "Why are you defending them?"

His brow furrowed. "Because they're not the bad guys, Korra." Mako cross his arms in that tell-tale pose that meant he was sure he would win this argument.

"Yeah, well, we didn't think Hiroshi was, either, did we?"

The words had shot from Korra's mouth before she could stop them. If Asami had heard that, Korra would have never been able to live it down.

"I think you need to calm down," Mako said.

Korra shook her head. She rocketed up from the chair and shoved her food aside. "They're completely detached from reality, and you're just playing along! Asami's out there, all painted and laughing and smiling with them, and not talking to me. I feel like I'm going crazy."

"Korra, relax…"

"Stop telling me to relax!" she shouted. She took a breath in the quiet that followed. Her voice got tired, small. "I want to go home."

"Well, I'm not ready yet," Mako said, annoyed. "I'm actually getting along with some of them."

"Good, that's great. I'm glad you're having a good time with your new friends. No use in holding onto the old ones."

"Korra-" Mako stepped to her, but she brushed him away.

"No, stay as late as you want."

A growl escaped him, and he shouted, "Do I get to have a life or a career that doesn't revolve around you!?" There was a razor edge in those words. He'd been holding onto that one for a while.

They stood and stared at each other. How could Mako stand this place? Oh, right. His career. The sole focus of his time, lately. But Korra had sat through enough propositions and glad-handing tonight. Enough to last for the rest of her hopefully endorsement-free life. She didn't have to stay on Mako's arm all night and play devoted Avatar.

"Enjoy your party," she grumbled, spinning on her heel.

"Korra, wait." He followed her to the door out of the study, but no further. "Where are you going?" he called.

Korra didn't have the faintest idea, but even if she did, she certainly wasn't going to tell him.

* * *

The garden was serene and blessedly empty. Most of the partygoers seemed more at home in the bustle of a crowd. Maybe it reminded them of downtown. The lush green and delicate flowers were too quiet for their speed. Korra took a deep breath of cool air. It felt open out here.

Walking along a stone path, she heard the chittering and squawking of birds, small splashes of water. She rounded a few trees and saw Asami sitting on the grass in her party dress, legs tucked beneath her. Every so often she tossed something into the pond. Tiny turtleducklings and their parents clung to the water's edge, scurrying to catch the bait when it landed.

Korra inched forward. "Are you mad at me?" she asked, almost afraid to raise her voice. With her luck tonight, it could scare her off.

It didn't, but Asami didn't respond right away. She turned, and that chill still clung to her gaze, regarding Korra with quiet disinterest. As Korra stepped closer, though, Asami seemed to visibly deflate. She'd been holding on so tight to that stony expression.

"I...no," she sighed. She began to peel off her long silk gloves. "No, I'm not mad at you."

Progress. Korra ventured a few more steps. "It feels like I did something wrong."

Asami let out a long exhale. "I used to always want to go to these parties when I was little. I thought it would be exciting to 'stay up late with the grown-ups.' And then you find out that adults aren't any smarter, or more put together, or wiser, or confident. They're just...tedious." Her bare hand gripped the grass beside her. "I've been smiling all night for people who just want to talk _about_ me, not _to_ me," she admitted. "That Sato charm has to come from somewhere, and I'm all out of caffeine. I needed a breath."

"Me too," Korra said. Her hands were tense. She was still fighting the argument with Mako. The scowl must have come back, because there was a flicker of concern in Asami's attention. It was a relief to see it for the first time tonight.

"I'm sorry if I was short with you before. I..." Asami searched for the words. They came slowly, like she was letting go of a secret. "I was trying to give you space."

How that translated to ignoring her, Korra couldn't guess. "I don't want space."

Asami nodded, smiling out at the pond. She went quiet again.

There was a short burst of laughter and music when a door was opened from the house.

"Not from you anyway," Korra continued. Mako was probably still fuming, but he'd get over it and be at Beifong's heels again in no time. "Can I hide out here for a little while?"

A delicately manicured hand patted the lawn. Korra lowered herself to the ground. It was restrictive trying to doing this in her skirt.

"I don't think I've ever told you how much I like that dress," Asami said.

"Good," Korra smirked. "I only have the one."

"It suits you," Asami encouraged her. "The color especially."

"Thank you." Not that blue was the color anyone was paying attention to that night. Korra kept the thought to herself. Before she could return the compliment, in some way that really undersold how lovely the red party dress was, Korra was tapped on the arm.

"Korra, look." Asami's smile was wide as she pointed to the pond.

Some of the turtleducklings were climbing onto shore. Undoubtedly to chase after their supply of snacks that had been cut off. Asami chuckled as two of the little yellow fuzzy babies waddled up towards them. Their mother following close behind.

"Alright, alright..." She opened the napkin between herself and Korra, revealing a small collection of cooked snails, mollusks, and fresh greens. Asami picked up a stem of watercress and tossed it to the mother turtleduck. It was caught and quickly inhaled.

"Does this help?" Korra asked. "With the stress?"

"A little." Asami shrugged. "Give it a try."

Korra picked up a snail and studied it. "They eat all this? Are Raiko's turtleducks too fancy for bread crumbs?"

"Oh, these are the hot ticket items." Asami smiled. "Take that one out of the shell for the little ones."

Korra obeyed and peeled the buttered snail from its shell, tossing the chewy creature to the turtleducks. The pair of youngsters began chirping, picking at the snail together.

"So why are you hiding?" Asami asked.

"Two guesses," Korra said, reaching for another snail to peel apart.

"Has tonight really been that bad?"

"I almost didn't show up," Korra admitted. She leaned back on her arms. "I kinda wish I hadn't."

"Then forget about me. _That's_ all anyone would have been talking about." Asami flexed her hand and Korra suddenly noticed the gauze bandage on her thumb.

"You hurt yourself again," Korra frowned.

Asami flexed, unconcerned. "Engines have a lot of moving parts," she said lightly. "Hazard of the hobby."

"Are you okay? I can help you with it." It was hard to remember when that impulse had become second nature.

Asami kept her hands on her lap, threaded together. "You keep offering to heal every bump and bruise, I'm going to have to put you on my payroll."

"It's no trouble," Korra said. "I know how important your hands are for your work." She reached for Asami's hands, and the girl stiffened at the contact.

Korra pulled her hand back, hovering. Asami had not always been skittish around Korra touching her. Only a few times came to mind, in fact.

Maybe it wasn't Korra who needed space.

She hadn't forgotten about the kiss at the safe house. Since then, they'd spent much of their together, but they'd never actually talked about it. It hovered over every word, every time they touched, or held each other. Too many tangles and complications had formed from that one moment.

Asami stared at the pond. Flushed. Embarrassed. It was all the more obvious when she offered Korra her hand in apology. "Here."

"No," Korra said. "I'm sorry." She gingerly took only Asami's thumb. Turning it a couple degrees in each direction, she studied it, careful not to bend the joint too much. "You did a good job with the bandage," she offered, and gently rested Asami's hand, palm up, back onto her lap.

There was a breath of ease in Asami's expression. She prodded at the gauze wrapping her thumb. "I used to patch up all sorts of scrapes before you showed up," she teased, managing a weak smile. "It'll be fine in a couple days."

Korra had found it hard to sort through everything between them. But Korra's solution had been to pretend like nothing was different. She cared about Asami. She wanted to be near her, make her feel safe and happy. On the other side of Amon's war had been a friend that she knew she could trust and share herself with. Before she'd discovered the plot to spy on her, Korra had found herself needing Asami's reassurance to get her through. Why couldn't they pick up where they'd started? She didn't want to lose her.

"Please don't shut me out," Korra said, just over a whisper.

Asami looked like she was holding back tears. "I don't want that."

"Then tell me when you need space, okay?" Korra turned to meet her head on. "Whenever you need it," she promised. "And I'll do the same for you." She waited a long beat to make sure that Asami looked up at her. The look she got—all raw nerves and hesitation—almost broke her. Korra bit down on her resolve to fix this. "I don't want to drive you away."

There. A glint of a smile. "It would take a little more than that," Asami joked. "But...okay." There was a lightness in her shoulders now. "Thank you."

The low clucking of the turtleducks caught their attention again. Korra took a leaf of lettuce and started pulling it into strips for the babies. "And be more careful with your hands," Korra urged. "I prefer you in one piece."

She heard a warm laugh under Asami's breath, and it made the whole mess of the night somehow worth it.

President Raiko's gala lasted for several more hours, into the late night, and the girls spent most of that time together in the garden. When they were out of food for the turtleducks, they talked. Joking, asking questions, telling stories. They met each other again. They learned what they each saw when they stared out at the cityscape, what they wanted to save in it, and why.

Training to be Avatar at the White Lotus compound had such primal threads in common with a childhood caught up in the Sato dynasty. Korra and Asami had both been far too young to inherit such tremendous power and authority. It had singled them out, made it hard to connect with people. Made other people seem distracted, or blind to the bigger issues of the world. Those issues that they had been left responsible for. And yet, it was that isolation, and the decisions that had been made _for_ them, that had pulled them into each other's orbit.

It felt vital that they hold onto that right now. Together, maybe they could keep each other from spinning out of control.

* * *

 **Special Thanks for Inspiration**

 _ **cd-fish**_ , for alpha/beta reading my work and for pushing my writing to be more thoughtful and thorough and generally awesome! (google: cd-fish+tumblr)

 _ **lalou**_ , for her lovely, hilarious, and heartfelt lil' Korra and baby Jinora comic, which is canon as far as my series is concerned. It certainly inspired some of dialogue at the beach (google: lalou+tumblr+133342060658)

 _ **sherbies**_ , for the headcanon that Korra sings/babysits for the airbabies (google: sherbies+tumblr+41990013163)

 _ **all my commenters**_ , who puff me up with enough enthusiasm to keep me excited to finish this. You are all such sweethearts, I love you all!

 _ **and to the rest of my readers**_ **.** I may not hear from all of you, but your presence is felt and appreciated!


	18. Entangled

**(Book 2, episode 5)**

Korra cared for Mako, but she was losing him to his work. The city was safe, for now, but she could feel the pressure to prove her worth as the Avatar. On the police force, Mako had hit the ground running. But though she found it inspiring how committed he was to his job, Korra couldn't get him to balance his work and personal life. She needed a partner; someone who was on her side. Too often it felt like a battle.

They argued. A lot.

Why couldn't they spend time with each other? Why did Korra have to be so combative with Beifong and the police? Why did Mako always take their side?

Wasn't this supposed to be easy? Wasn't this what they both wanted?

Mako cared for Korra, but she wanted him on the sidelines. Korra needed a safe harbor where she could hide away from the responsibilities and pressures of the Avatar. Hide away from the big picture. And Mako now realized how little he had helped with the fight with Amon. Mako wanted to make a real, tangible difference. He wanted to know that he was helping people. And to do that, he needed to jump further into the fray, not away from it.

He wasn't against Korra; there were so many sides to problems, so many ways to approach and solve them. He'd committed himself to following the law, he'd committed himself to following the rules. A place he never imagined being.

He needed that sense of calm that came from having a blueprint. To know what the outcomes would be. To know that he was doing right by people. Flying off the handle could get too many people hurt. Even though they'd defeated Amon by skirting around the police, they could do more good by working together.

A relationship had been something they'd both wanted. They'd stepped into it together. He wasn't against her. He didn't think he was, anyway.

But she made it a battle.

They fought. Too much. Saying things to hurt the other. Eventually, they'd find their way back to each other and apologize, but soon, one of them would slip. Say the wrong thing. Pick the wrong battle.

"Well, I guess if we're both putting our jobs first, then there's no room for our relationship!"

"So, what? Are you breaking up with me?"

"Yeah, I guess I am."

Perhaps there was nothing to say after that. Korra ran off. Days passed without a word from her. Mako gave her the time away from him that she obviously needed. He hadn't handled this mess at all well. But their broken relationship wouldn't be fixed with apologies. And Mako had no time to catch his breath. His city still needed protection, and there was no rest for someone who'd promised to shoulder it on his own.

* * *

 **(Book 2, episode 6)**

 **Warehouse**

Future Industries had been under attack: a ship full of war machines stolen, millions in profits lost, and no sign of a trail to follow those responsible. Asami could not sit on her hands and wait for official protocols. Another shipment could be seized. Her company would fall to ruin before the police began their investigation.

And so she'd agreed to involve the Triple Threat Triad in Mako's sting operation. Every cell in her body screamed against it. They'd murdered her mother. For all she knew, Viper or Shady Shin could have given the order. She'd burned away her childhood wishing for these thugs and everything they stood for to die.

But if they were going to have any chance of saving her company, of saving her family's legacy, the Triple Threats were their best chance. Viper agreed to provide muscle in exchange for the return of Shin's bending and the promise of Future Industries technology. It hadn't settled well in Asami's gut. They were arming criminals.

Now, silence clung to the air. It filled her lungs. It seeped into the walls of the empty warehouse.

Every mech suit, box of parts, and scrap of ammunition was gone.

Asami had clawed her way out of failure, only to lose her livelihood with one mistake of trust. She and Mako had compromised their morals. They'd promised more than they should have to recruit the Triads. And they'd been double crossed.

She should have known better.

"They took it all," she breathed.

"I'm fishing Viper out of the bay," Mako growled. "He's gonna talk if I have to beat it out of him." He turned to the moonlit water, scanning for movement in the distance.

"Stop, Mako." The words tumbled out of her by instinct, not conscious thought. Her brain was clouding over. Taking a few steps forward, she took in her warehouse. Bare walls. Stripped shelves.

"I should have listened to you," he sighed. "You didn't want to meet with them, and I convinced you to, after everything they'd done to you and your family. I thought if we gave them enough...I thought I could control them. I'm so sorry, Asami."

"It's done." Asami reached out her hand to find something to hold her steady. She fumbled at empty air. Looking down, she found deep scratches torn into the concrete floor. The shipping containers had been dragged out. "My company is over."

Mako studied the warehouse exits, the gears in his brain running overtime. He was all business right now. "They didn't work alone. Viper doesn't have the manpower to move industrial equipment like this."

"We got outbid," she said, listless.

"By who, though," he mused. "We should check out your other warehouses. Maybe they didn't have time to hit them all."

"You don't understand," she said. "Everything I had was in here." It would take years to offset the loss. This is, if her investors stuck around long enough to finance a recovery effort.

The barn doors of the warehouse were open to the city. Mako stared out, examining the scene. "Is there security?" he asked. "Someone had to see all this getting hauled away-"

"This was all I had left!" Asami barked. Her anger echoed off the empty walls. Her legs wanted to give out on her. "I was on borrowed time as it is. The Board won't give me another chance."

"We can figure this out," Mako insisted, stepping towards her.

"Will you please stop?" A breathy laugh bubbled out of her. Scornful. Tired. "How many times do you have to get kicked before you finally stay down?"

"Plenty more than this." Mako turned his attention from the crime scene to Asami's face.

"I think I'm at my limit." She avoided his attention, tears burning in her eyes.

Mako reached for Asami's hands to steady her. To get her to meet his gaze. "Well, I'm not giving up on you," he said. He smiled when she finally conceded to look up at him.

She knew that expression too well. That instinct to protect, with a healthy determination to do the right thing. Asami knew that he wouldn't quit, no matter how debilitating it was to his life, or his career. He was in her corner, consequences be damned.

Sheer force of instinct drew her forward, and she kissed him.

Quiet hung between them. Asami hadn't touched anyone, or been touched, in too long. Mako tasted the same as she remembered. He was warm and familiar.

After a long, timid moment, Mako's mouth moved. His body stepped to hers. Fingers traced up her sleeves, and he began to kiss her back, just a little.

The sensation shook Asami out of her daze. She pulled away. What were they doing?

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, her face even hotter than before. Her eyes glued to the floor.

"It's...it's okay," he managed out. He busied his hands and straightened out his jacket.

That had been stupid. Asami was being stupid. She was in pain, and she missed being near someone. Anyone. Did she still want Mako, or did she just want _someone_? She hated that she had to ask herself.

Mako took her trembling hands, leaning down into view to recapture her attention. "Promise me we'll fix this together," he said, "Tell me you're up to it."

It took a breath or two, but Asami finally gave him a weak nod. "I'm here."

"Great. What comes first?"

The question focused her. Mako already knew the answer. He was trying to center her. Wake her up. Asami stared at the middle of his chest, sorting through the next few hours in her mind. "Find out who the Triads were working for," she finally said.

He nodded. "We have to move quickly if we're going to catch Viper and his goons before they're in the wind."

Future Industries security forces had been redistributed for the sting. Watching the docks, a few in plain clothes back on the ship. "No," she said, "I need to make sure our men are safe. Then talk to Asset Management and come up with a plan for addressing the Board."

"Okay. I'll call you when I find anything," Mako promised. "I know just who to ask."

"Be careful, please." She frowned. "I don't want to have to fish _you_ out of the bay."

* * *

Hours dragged on, and as the next night fell, Mako was running out of steam. Viper and his Triple Threats had gone underground. No one on the street would talk, even when Mako flashed his police credentials or his history with the Triads. No shopkeeper, thug, or snitch was willing to turn on Viper. His stranglehold on the city was still secure.

And so Mako found himself failing Republic City. He'd driven out the criminals he was supposed to be bringing to justice. He was failing Future Industries. The hundreds of people who would lose their jobs if the company couldn't recover their property or recover from their loss.

He was failing Asami.

Mako's body just wanted to collapse as it traipsed up the stone steps to the Sato estate. But sleep sounded too good for him. His brain was wired for work. He needed answers. He needed a lead.

But without one to speak of, he needed to at least give Asami an update. Her estate was silent as the sun dipped behind the mountains. It was darker than Mako had remembered. There had always been lanterns in the courtyard.

He reached the massive front door and caught a hint of light leaking out. It had been left open.

A jolt in his chest tugged him forward, and he slipped inside the house.

The foyer was mostly dark, save for an overturned lamp in his way. A lounge chair lay upended against the wall. Its cushion had been gutted with a blade. A bureau cabinet had been left wide open, the antiques it displayed shoved aside carelessly.

"Hello?" Mako called. No answer. He spoke louder. "Asami?"

No one welcomed him past the foyer. The house was hushed as he wandered into the sitting room. It had been ransacked. Statuary missing from pedestals, drawers open or removed from their end tables. Papers were strewn around like someone had been frantically searching.

"Asami!" he yelled again.

The valuables he'd remembered dotting the walls and shelves were almost all gone. Tiles lay cracked and ripped out of the floor by rushed earthbending.

A heavy thud sounded upstairs, and his eyes shot to the ceiling.

When Viper had ordered his men to take down Future Industries, what if he'd included its CEO?

Mako scrambled up the marble stairs to the second floor. "Asami!"

The hallways were unlit. Room after room disheveled and stripped. Turning a corner, he found the door to Hiroshi's study ajar and a dull yellow glow stretching out into the hall. He reached the door in a panic, hands outstretched and itching for a fight.

Asami sat at her father's desk in the shadows of a fire. She glanced up from a half-empty tumbler glass. She seemed surprised to see him, but she said nothing.

"Are you okay?" Mako wheezed out. "What happened?"

"Oh." She nodded at the disarray around the study. "Some books just fell."

"What happened to your house?" he corrected.

"There was a police raid after my father's arrest," Asami said flatly. "I found it like this when I got back from the South Pole." She studied the rim of her glass, turning it in her fingers. Ice clinking against the sides. "Looking for more hidden Equalist strongholds under the floorboards, I suspect." She took a slow, quiet sip.

Mako eased into the study, carefully stepping to avoiding crushing books. "Asami, that was two months ago..."

She shrugged and leaned back in her father's chair. "I haven't had a chance to rehire the staff."

Asami had been living like this for months. How had Bolin and Korra not noticed? "You left the front door open," Mako said, "I was worried."

"What's left to steal?" she muttered.

"Asami…"

"Did you find Two Toed Ping?" The firebending enforcer was the first stop Mako had planned to make in his investigation.

He reached the front of the desk and rapped his fingertips on the tabletop. "Not yet."

"Then you deserve a drink," she said. Asami pushed up from her chair and carried her glass to the only furniture in the room she had bothered to right: the drinks trolley.

Leaning into the desk, Mako watched her pour another drink. She was swaying on her heels.

"I have another glass," Asami offered.

"No, thank you."

"Oh my," she teased, "the hotshot detective doesn't partake?"

"Hotshot _rookie_ ," he corrected with a weak smile. "And I don't like not being sharp."

"Sometimes 'not sharp' is the best thing for a situation," she said. "Case in point: When your life has started to resemble your house."

Stumbling a little, Asami made her way across the sea of debris towards an upended sofa. Mako followed her, grabbing an edge to lift it right-side up, but instead of taking the other side, Asami plopped down. The sofa's frame crunched beneath her. She patted the headrest as she got comfortable on it. "Sit with me," she said.

Mako gently sat down beside her. His shoulders melted, and he reclined his head into what should have been the seat cushions. He'd been on his feet since the sun went up. Eyes drifting closed, he felt like his brain could finally breathe. No wonder Asami had snuck away here to sulk. Despite whatever memories it might dredge up of her father, the darkness and warmth was relaxing.

The rustle of ice shook by his ear, and he opened his eyes to find Asami had downed the rest of her drink. "You can't just hide in here and drink all night," he said.

"Why not?" she glowered. "I should just get to wallow a little. _For once_."

Mako watched the stranger in front of him. A quiet, defeated girl. This had broken her. Asami had been left to pick up the pieces of her life, and she'd made Future Industries her focus. Her world. To prove her worth to her friends, she'd poured herself into the company. Her happiness and value hinged so delicately on her work. Mako knew Asami's strength, her sharp mind, the heart she gave freely to her friends. But that core, that person who Mako had spent so much time defending and supporting, was crumbling under the weight of defeat.

"How can I help?" he urged. Mako rested a hand on hers, but she didn't answer. The crackle of the fireplace filled the silence. At least Asami didn't get up to refill her glass.

"So why'd you finally break up with Korra?" she asked, pulling her hand back.

His brain stumbled at the question. "What do you mean, _'finally'_?"

Asami shrugged quietly. "She said you'd been fighting a lot."

Korra had actually been talking about their relationship? That was news. "She doesn't trust me," he said softly. "She thinks arguing means I'm not on her side, but I'm just trying to do my job."

"Have you tried explaining that to her with an inside voice?" Asami suggested.

"Have you tried talking to Korra when she's made her mind up? It's like trying to reason with a monsoon."

"Loving each other isn't the same as being good together," she mused. Staring out at the room, she suddenly flinched at her own words. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "Anything I say sounds self-serving."

"You and I never fought like that," Mako murmured.

Asami chuffed into her glass, tipping it back to catch the ice. "Let's not put our relationship on a pedestal. We didn't fight because I didn't _let_ us fight."

He took her hand, gently pulling it to the ground so he could pry the glass out. Pain was a dangerous drinking companion. She was sinking into it, alone in her ruin of a house. He couldn't solve all her problems for her, but at least he could keep her better company.

"I shouldn't have kissed you," Asami said, glaring into the carpet. "That was not okay."

"You don't need to apologize." Mako said. The tumbler had been set aside, but their hands were still intertwined. When Asami made no move to change that, he settled into her grip. "I miss you, too."

They both leaned back against the sofa seat, watching each other.

He'd felt content with Asami. Happy. But their relationship, their trust, had fallen apart so quickly and so completely when the war with the Equalists ignited. A gentle hand and a moment of peace were more than he'd ever expected to share with her again.

The fire popped and cracked, filling the silence.

Asami didn't deserve to be the victim again. She was a good person. It had taken some time for Mako to realize that after finding out the truth her and Hiroshi. A lifetime of loss and loneliness had dragged out the worst in her, but she had found her way back. She'd paid her penance, over and over.

By now, she _had_ to know how much she mattered. Did she?

He watched her fingers trace his, and he looked up to find she'd shifted closer. Heads still resting back on the couch, they let themselves drift forward.

When their lips met, Mako inhaled the room; a heady mix of fireplace smoke and char. It coiled into the harsh whiskey fumes coating Asami's breath. He held her face, fingers slipping back into the silk of her hair. The chase and the investigation fell away, and for a moment there was only the fire's warmth, the jolt of kissing her again.

With a heavy sigh, Asami gripped Mako's shirt and tugged him closer.

He wanted to remember how her skin felt against his. He wanted to lose himself in that kiss. By the time Asami had maneuvered onto his lap, he was sure she felt the same. But as eager as he was to hold onto her for dear life, Mako had to come up for air.

With a long, lingering kiss, they gently pried themselves apart. Both breathing hard.

Mako felt the temperature of the room plummet as Asami climbed off him. She hauled her legs to her chest, avoiding his eyes. Her hand pressed to her mouth like she was trying to hold onto the kiss. "We have to be done," she breathed.

The words sent a knot through his stomach. Mako sat straight up, and slid a polite few inches from her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push."

"You didn't," Asami said, staring up at the ceiling. "What am I doing? This is not what a stable person does. A stable person does not get drunk all night and kiss other people's boyfriends."

"I'm not her boyfriend," Mako said.

Her eyes hardened. "I don't trust myself right now."

Mako fell back against the couch. The evening had veered more times than he could keep up with. "Is this because-"

"There's a lot of reasons," she said.

"Like Korra?" he asked, tentative.

"Yes." She frowned at him. "You only just broke up with her."

"I meant...when you kissed her." Mako kept his voice gentle.

Asami lost her words at that, and pulled her legs up tighter against her chest.

She'd made the confession in the heat of an argument, so they hadn't brought it up again, but Mako had been quietly conscious of it ever since. Asami and Korra carried an implicit trust and concern for each other. They had pulled each other out of a war. They had fought and survived it together, on opposite sides at times. They'd put their lives on the line for each other.

And Mako had realized that trust went back to before Asami had revealed herself as a Equalist spy, long before he'd known how many secrets the girls were keeping from him. He remembered the unspoken tension he'd felt when he'd interrupt them at the Air Temple. How they would close ranks on him, out of what he'd assumed to be keeping secrets from 'the boys'.

Mako could see an attentiveness between them still. A light touch of the hand to make sure that the other was alright. They looked for each other in crowds. They asked after each other first before anyone else.

Asami had kissed Korra, and hadn't spoken of it since. Mako was sure that Asami still cared about him, but that kiss still meant something, too, he suspected.

In the dim light of the study, something flickered across Asami's face that Mako had never seen before. She looked small. Nervous, even. This was not something that she was used to sharing.

There was a long breath before she found her voice again. "You're both important to me. I don't want to mess that up." Her eyes returned to her glass on the ground. "You haven't even talked to each other since you broke up. I don't want to muddle things."

"They're already muddled," he said. "If you're worried about Korra, or your feelings for Korra-"

"No," she cut him off. "This is about me. About us. I'm afraid that I only want you as a security blanket. You don't deserve that." She finally stopped avoiding his face, and met his eyes. "I'm sorry."

He nodded. "It's okay." Mako reached out and firmly held her arm. He wasn't running from her, even if he'd just made a fool out of himself. "Whatever you need."

Slowly, they slipped into each other's arms again. He reached over her shoulders as her head rested back against his chest. They were too exhausted by the world to be hesitant about touching now. Mako's skin still hummed, his mouth ached, but he bit it all back and sank into the couch cushions. She followed him, and they quietly breathed together, watching shadows and golden firelight dance on the walls.

* * *

 **(Book 2, episode 11)**

"Was it a bad fight?" Korra asked.

Mako froze as every eye in the police station lobby locked onto him.

He remembered Korra's face after their last argument. The anger in it. The heartbreak. But now, she was smiling at him, kissing him, holding his hands. She was calm. Despite the hesitation in her question, she was so happy to see him.

"Uh…"

Mako knew he should say that yes, the fight was awful. That they had said horrible things to each other, things that time and distance had made him realize were only meant to dig in and cause pain. It hadn't been fair of either of them. He needed to admit to the break up and apologize for what he'd said.

Maybe she'd even forgive him. Maybe they'd get a moment to sit and hash things out. There were still issues they needed to deal with. Was this a chance to have those arguments again? To make it work?

Time crept past, inch by agonizing inch. He was taking too long, he could feel it. Korra stood there and patiently waited for his answer. Everyone was staring at him, watching him as he mustered the nerve to break up with the Avatar all over again.

There was no sign of the chip on her shoulder from their disagreements. This was the Korra he'd fallen in love with. She didn't remember that he'd driven her away.

There'd be no taking it back once it was out in the open.

"Mm...No. No, it- it wasn't that bad."

Korra smiled at him, and Mako felt the tightness in his chest suddenly go slack.

There was a quiet murmur from the crowd around them. More than a few of the officers had been at the station during the breakup and knew that he'd just lied to Korra's face. Mako caught a particularly smug leer from detectives Lu and Gang.

At the center of it all stood Asami. Mako was afraid to look for her, but when her glare finally found him, it burned. He fought a new grip of guilt in his chest. Without a word, Asami spun on her heel and marched for the door.

He felt Bolin pat him on the back. "I got it," his brother said. Bolin followed her towards the exit.

"What's wrong?" Korra asked, watching them leave.

Before Mako could respond with something, Tenzin stepped in and interrupted. "Korra, we don't have much time," he said. "We need to discuss our plans to deal with Unalaq."

"Right." She was still holding Mako's hand.

Mako watched Bolin disappear outside. He needed to say something. Figure out how to make things right with Asami. And preferably not make an ass out of himself again. He glanced down at Korra and took a few steps back. "I'll...I'll be right behind you," he promised.

He flinched a bit when Korra leaned up to kiss his cheek. Before turning for the situation room, she shared another smile with him that he didn't think he deserved.

* * *

Asami stormed out into the cold night air, rage curling up from her stomach.

Bolin weaved between pedestrians as he hustled after her. "Asami, wait up!"

"He's unbelievable," she muttered under her breath. She spun around to Bolin and threw a hand wildly up at the police building. "He is unbelievable!"

Bolin nodded, trying to pacify her with a squeeze to her shoulders. "I know he messed up a little back there, but I'm sure we can work it out."

"Asami!" Mako called out. "Let me explain!"

Bolin winced, watching his brother scramble after them. "Should I go?" he asked Asami in a hush.

"No, Bolin. Stay." Her voice got louder as Mako got closer, words slipping out through gritted teeth. "Maybe you can knock some sense into him. If I try to do it, I'm liable to _break_ something."

"What did you want me to do?" Mako demanded. "Humiliate Korra in front of all of those people? I don't want to hurt her again."

"What do you think is going to happen when she finds out that you lied? That you broke up with her, we kissed, and then you lied to her face?"

Bolin's eyes went wide. "Whaaat…"

Mako glared at her, but his voice had lost its bluster. "Asami, I'm sorry. You said that we were done."

"This isn't about us. Korra doesn't remember what happened. That doesn't give you the right to lie to her to make yourself feel better."

"That wasn't what I was trying to-"

Asami let out a wordless groan into her hands. "We are better than this!" she snapped. "How are we incapable of acting like adults around each other?"

Bolin took a spot between them, but aimed his firm tone at his brother. "She's right, Mako. You gotta tell Korra the truth. And we're not gonna do it for you. You need to deal with the fallout."

Behind him, Asami had managed to gather a few breaths to bring herself down from the rage. She'd ripped into Mako for lying, but as she turned to him, she could tell he was terrified. He knew that he had messed up, and she wasn't making it any easier for him to deal with it. She was fighting Korra's battle for her. This particular lover's quarrel, in the end, wasn't Asami's business.

She sighed, trying to force her expression to soften. "I know you're afraid of losing her, Mako, but it's not enough to get what you want." Asami hesitated, but eventually reached out to touch his arm. "You need to be able to sleep, knowing how you got it." Breathing out more of her frustration, she let the gesture be what she'd intended. Gentle. Forgiving, even.

Asami sulked back inside, leaving the two brothers on the sidewalk.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to berate Mako more for being such a child. She wanted to find Korra and set the whole mess straight, damn the consequences. Maybe if she came clean, Korra would even forgive her.

But the station thrummed with activity as she entered. Swarms of police officers and military personnel reminded her how much more was at stake than her pride or her feelings. Everything was crumbling into chaos, again, and this time she knew she was on the right side. Asami took a long, calming fill of air, and let it out. Focused herself. The world needed protecting, and Asami Sato needed to get her priorities straight.

* * *

 _Hope you guys liked my interpretation of the love triangle! It's...it's pretty much done now. On to bigger and better things! (aka korrasami!)_

 **Special Thanks to** ** _cd-fish_** , for alpha/beta reading my work and for pushing my writing to be more thoughtful and thorough

 ** _Thanks to all my commenters_** , who puff me up with enough enthusiasm to keep me excited to finish this. You are all such sweethearts, I love you all!

 ** _And to ALL my readers_** **.** Even though I may not hear from you, your presence and kudos are felt and appreciated!

Please Read and Review, comments are very much appreciated!


	19. New Footing

**(Book 2, episode 12)**

 **South Pole**

Asami's eyes darted back to the thin treeline. There was no time to catch her breath. Instead, panic and fury filled her lungs. What was left of Unalaq's army of spirits and soldiers, what was left of _her_ machines, could regroup and overwhelm them at any moment.

Dodging branches and felled trees, she followed Korra and their friends towards the column of spirit energy blazing in the distance. They'd escaped from the barricade camp and liberated Korra's father, but time was running out. If Korra's uncle Unalaq managed to merge with the dark spirit Vaatu, the world would be plunged into chaos and darkness.

Korra's father was not in good shape. Tonraq was wounded, exhausted, and barely able to carry his own weight. Mako and Bolin held him from either side, propping him up at the arms as they trudged through the ice-patches and thickets of the ancient spirit forest.

Korra marched ahead with Tenzin. "Once we're inside," she said, "you go find Jinora. Mako and Bolin will take care of Unalaq while I close the portal, so Vaatu can't escape."

A small petty itch in Asami's brain resented Mako for still being at Korra's side. But she couldn't hold that too hard against him. It made sense that he was waiting to tell the harsh truth of the breakup. It was frustrating, but Asami understood. The war was more important right now. Korra needed focus.

"Wait a second," Bolin grunted, easing Tonraq along the ice. "Worst-case scenario: So we're fighting Unalaq, you close the portals, and let's just say something happens to you. Are we gonna be trapped in there for eternity?"

"If everything goes as planned," Korra called back, "We'll all walk out together after Harmonic Convergence. If not…" She didn't find the nerve to continue.

A hush fell over them, leaving only hard breathing and the crunch of ice beneath their boots. They were getting close to the portal. Soon, there'd be no turning back.

"Asami." Korra pointed at the sky bison hovering nearby. "Take Oogi and get my father out of here. I want you in the air before we get to the portal."

The order shook Asami's focus from the treeline. "What? Korra, wait!" She hustled up through the group, taking the girl's shoulder to match her speed. "Please, let me go with you." The others stood ready and welcomed to plunge into the dangers of the spirit world and fight at Korra's side. Asami had proven time and again that she could hold her own in a fight, too. Why was she being benched?

Korra kept her eyes on the spirit portal. "Unalaq took down my father," she said, "and my dad is the strongest warrior that I know."

"That's why I'm coming with you," Tonraq called, limping out from under Mako's supportive arm. He stumbled over the frozen brush towards the girls, but his face contorted as he struggled to hold himself upright.

"No, you're too hurt." Korra reached for her father's arms to steady him. "You need a healer."

Asami took a space on the other side of Tonraq, and he rested a massive palm on her shoulder. He put quite a bit of weight against her, but she could barely feel it in this bitter, overpowering cold. He planted his feet, trying to look strong for his daughter. "Asami can stay here with me," he said. "You run into the portal. We'll try to hold off anyone who comes after you."

Korra shook her head, more vehemently this time. "You'll be only be exposed out here."

"I can fight," Asami said softly. The Avatar had more power within her than anyone here. But this was Korra. Asami couldn't leave her. Not after all they'd gotten each other through. Not at what could be the end.

"We need to reach the Spirit Portal," Tenzin demanded, urging the rest of them to hurry past the argument. His daughter's life hung in the balance. The air master moved with a ferocity none of them had ever seen in him. "We don't have time to debate."

Korra saw the anxiety in Asami's face. "If Unalaq merges with Vaatu, I have no idea what they'll be capable of," Korra said. "It's going to be dangerous for any bender, and I don't…" she frowned at both of them. "I won't be able to protect you."

"I don't need your protection," Tonraq insisted.

"You're right," Korra told him, "you need _hers_."

Asami blinked. "Me?"

Korra nodded, staring like Asami had missed something obvious. "You're smart, and fast, you can fly damn near anything, and you understand what those war machines are capable of. I don't know what we'll find on the other side of the portal, but I _know_ that you can keep my father safe. I need him safe."

"I'm not going to run," Asami demanded.

"But I'm asking you to." Korra grabbed Asami's gloved hands and held them together. Held them close. "Please, Asami. Please, do this for me."

Past the bravado of leading troops, or the grim acceptance that her responsibility was always to right the world, there was desperation in Korra's grip. She was scared for her father. This was more important than having another body on the front lines. Protecting Tonraq was just as critical to her as stopping all the evil the world was throwing at them. She was trusting Asami with her family.

Asami had to be willing to step away from the fight, if it meant that much to Korra.

"Alright," she murmured. She hated the thin wave of relief that slipped through her. A pressure valve released at the promise to stay behind. It was hard enough to fathom the power of a dark spirit plotting for millennia to drag the world into darkness. Let alone imagine the power that would be needed to stop it. Down in her core, Asami was afraid. They all were.

Korra threw an arm over her shoulder and hugged her tight. "Thank you," she breathed, warm against Asami's neck.

"Korra."

They both looked up to find Tonraq glowering down with as much authority as his aching body could muster.

"Korra, I am your father-"

Her eyes went icy. "And I am your Avatar."

The clearing went silent. Korra's voice was harsh as stone and more immovable than the ancient forest around them. Taking a slow breath, she took her father's wrist and slowly lifted it a few inches up. Tonraq grunted low in his throat, his eyes nearly rolling back at the pain. "Right now, you're a liability," she said firmly. When her father began to drift to the side, exhausted, she latched onto him. But her eyes turned soft. She was pleading with him now. Gentle. "Your people need you. Mom needs you."

Asami watched the standoff fall away. Tonraq's eyes kept hold of his daughter's. He was ashamed of being weak. Of being helpless to protect her.

"This is my fight now," Korra urged.

"Korra!" Tenzin shouted. They were falling behind.

Tonraq pulled his daughter into a solid embrace. "I love you."

"I love you too, Dad," she said. That cold authority of the Avatar flickered in the chill of the wind. Korra held onto him tight and clearly didn't want to let go.

Asami didn't want to break up the moment. She knew more than most how much regret could build up by not telling loved ones how important they were. Resting a tentative hand on Korra's back, she caught her attention. "We should go," she said.

They helped her father towards Oogie, already saddled. Naga climbed aboard first - Korra didn't want to leave anyone exposed at the portal if reinforcements charged them. The sky bison let out a grunt as he adjusted to the massive polar bear dog curling up in the large cradle on his back. Naga silently watched as Korra, Asami, and Mako helped Tonraq crawl in beside her. She nuzzled against him. Tonraq collapsed back against her fur and let out a long, labored exhale.

"Here," Bolin said, threading his hands to give Asami a boost up.

Climbing across Oogie's massive flat head, Asami tucked her legs in. The sky bison shifted, and she could feel the weight of him rocking back and forth as he breathed. She tried to match his slow and steady rhythm, but her heart was pumping too fast. No seatbelts or doors on this ride. A death grip on the reins kept her from sliding off, but she still felt off-balance.

From below, Bolin raised a puff of red fur to her hands. "Take care of Pabu," he said, frowning.

Leaning down, she grabbed the little fire ferret by the belly and dropped him on her lap. "He'll be under my personal protection," she promised. Pabu curled up a little, but soon scurried back to the solid mass of Naga in the saddle.

Bolin smiled weakly, waving as he stepped back to give them space.

Mako took a moment to absently pat the sky bison's shaggy head. Eventually, he looked up at Asami, trying to mask his concern with his typical scowl. "Safe flight," he said.

"With my luck today?" Asami smirked, flashing back to the assault with her plane. She managed to find a crack in his expression, but it quickly disappeared. Too much was at stake right now. Mako was nervous, she could tell. "Watch that blind spot at your left," she said quickly, tapping her own left ear to point it out. "You never went a single match without getting nicked from there."

Mako nodded, patting as close to her foot as he could get on Oogie. "See you soon?"

"You better," she teased.

Korra fiddled with the harness under Oogie's fur, checking and tugging at it, convincing herself that she'd made it more secure somehow. "Stick to the treeline for as long as you can," she instructed, pointing out past the forest. "Then break west to that mountain pass. It's the fastest way back to the village."

Asami stared out at the forest, trying to catch a glimpse of what Korra was describing. The thick tangle of canopy blocked her view.

Oogie grunted and shifted again as Korra climbed across to his head. She knelt beside Asami. "Thank you."

Asami took a fistful of Korra's parka, keeping her close. "Just come back," she said, tugging at the fur in her grip.

Korra nodded, eyes wide.

Asami fought the tremble in her voice. "Because I _will_ come in after you."

A laugh bubbled up from Korra despite herself, and she gave Asami another quick hug. The temperature was dropping all around them. Korra tightened the collar around Asami's neck. "It's only gonna get colder the higher up you get. Keep covered."

The girls held tight to each other's hands, easing Korra to the ground.

"Go," Korra called up.

There was a beat of hesitation, when Asami didn't want to look away from her. If she kept Korra in sight, it was one second longer that she wasn't facing off against Vaatu. One second longer that she was something resembling 'safe'. Asami's nerves got hold of her, and she hitched the reins on the harness. "Oogie," she said firmly, "yip-yip."

The sky bison hauled himself up into the air. Swaying with his weight. Asami's heart leapt up into her tonsils, and she wrapped the reins around her wrist for grip. The ground drifted away, grew small. As Asami steered Oogie to the mountains, Korra and the others disappeared into the brilliant lights of the spirit portal. One after the other, they fell from her reach.

* * *

The snow storm picked up around them. Deathly cold whipping against Asami's face. Even through her thick gloves, she couldn't feel her fingers anymore. She tried to focus, tried to keep her eyes open despite the pain rushing through her face. It was hard to not curl up into her coat as deep as she could go and cling to what was left of her body warmth. But, no, she had to stay alert. Perched and awake at the 'pilot's seat'. The way wasn't safe.

They'd followed the treeline as instructed, then threaded the mountain pass. Or, at least, what had looked like a pass. The snow blurred the outlines of rock from up here. The storm was getting worse. Was it natural, though?

She'd caught glimmers of light through the storm. Beautiful shapes, drifting through the air, through the clouds around them. Spirits were roaming. She had to be careful not to attract attention.

Her stun glove was tucked into her jacket, but it wouldn't do any good up here. She was doing this for Korra, she reminded herself. She was doing her part. Though it didn't include crusading into the Spirit World to fight unknown monsters, it still needed to be done.

Asami took slow, deep breaths of painful cold. The air was thin this high up.

"Tonraq," she called back. She could barely see over the hump of Oogie's saddle, but it looked like Korra's father was still huddled against Naga. The polar bear dog was curled up against the saddle's edge.

"Are you still awake?" No answer. "Tonraq," she said firmer, anxiously watching the next range of mountain peaks getting closer. They were avoiding the visual range of Future Industries artillery guns. "You need to stay awake until we get back."

Asami turned her body around and found Tonraq's face was paler than before. He looked a little queasy. "Are you alright back there?" she asked. "Does something hurt? You have to talk to me, I can't examine you from up here."

"I'm fine," Tonraq managed. He sounded winded. "I just don't spend much time up here." He took a venturing glance over the side of the saddle, and seemed to immediately regret it. He took slow breaths, gripping the edge of the saddle for purchase. "We usually travel by ship."

With a sheepish smile, Asami tried to even out Oogie's ascent. Motion sickness, she could handle. "We'll try to be gentler."

"No, it's alright," said Tonraq, raising a hand. "You handle the bison about as well as that plane of yours. I'm impressed."

"Thank you."

"Not that I'm surprised," he continued. "Korra said you were talented. She speaks about you often."

Asami's nervousness was thankfully masked by the shaking in her voice from the cold. "All good things, I hope," she said, struggling to sound relaxed.

"Admirable things," he reassured her. "She told me all you've given up to help her. I'm sorry about the situation with your father."

She stiffened at the mention of Hiroshi. Despite washing her hands of him, his legacy seemed to follow her wherever she went. "He made his choices, and I made mine."

"Family is not an easy thing to come by," Tonraq said, "and even harder still to hold onto. But you showed tremendous bravery sacrificing it for what you know to be right and good."

"Thank you, sir." Trying to ignore the new tightness in her chest, Asami scanned ahead. No sign of any more lights. That was good, but, but little could settle her nerves from her perch on Oogie's head. Only her own balance kept her from tumbling thousands of feet to the ground.

Tonraq continued talking, to fill the silence. Their roles had reversed, it seemed. It had become his job to calm Asami. "You have done so much for my daughter. For my family. I'm in your debt. When this is over, you're welcome in our home, and you'll always have a place with us."

She didn't know what to say. Here was Tonraq - a stranger in all respects but their mutual concern for Korra - offering his admiration. He was one of the most important people in Korra's life. With that declaration of loyalty, of family, it seemed that Asami was, too. A pressure had begun to build behind her eyes. But tears were only going to make her even colder right now. "Thank you," she murmured, somewhere quiet in her throat. The wind drowned out the small words she'd mustered. "Th-thank you," she said louder over the roar.

Chittering came from behind her shoulders, and she nudged at the fire ferret with a few fingers to urge him back towards Tonraq. "You should hold onto Pabu," she said. "He's a little space-heater. You'll keep each other warm."

Through the veil of the storm, Asami thought she could see lights. Not the flickering, dangerous beauty of spirit energy, but the dim, welcome lights of homes.

"Hold on for a little longer," she called back to her passengers. "We'll be there soon."

The closer they got to the glow of the distinct village, the lighter her breathing felt. They would be behind walls soon. With friendly faces. Safe.

But clawing in a corner of her mind was that chance Korra wouldn't make it back. It terrified her. Maybe as much as it terrified Tonraq. Asami had done what Korra had asked of her. Not for the last time, she thought that maybe Korra hadn't been honest with her. Had Korra's plan been to keep them both as far from the fighting as possible? Not to have her most trusted friend protect someone precious, but to protect two of them?

* * *

 **(between Books 2 and 3)**

 **Republic City**

Another war won. Another agent of darkness defeated by the Avatar. In a battle of incredible spiritual power, Korra had tapped into a primal force, her innermost spiritual energy. Off the coast of Republic City, a world away from where their battle had begun, two massive spirits had clashed. Humanity was safe again.

That was the easy way to tell it. The simple tale of good defeating evil.

Under Aang's guidance, Republic City had been carved out to be a symbol of progress and civilization. Of what humans could accomplish when they cooperated.

But the foundations of the world had shifted. Korra had chosen not to restore the barrier between the spirit and the mortal worlds. It would no longer be the Avatar's mission to be a bridge between them.

The spirits were reclaiming their ancient territories. Boulevards, waterways, and stone monuments, where lush forests and springs had once stretched across the land. This place that spirits had long been absent from now once again teemed with their energy and influence. They were stretching their limits, and the citizens of Republic City were caught in the middle of those growing pains. Ancient, living vines had thread their way through homes and skyscrapers alike, tearing up concrete and stone. Digging into the earth to become part of something new.

Asami and Korra drove out from the docks towards the center of the city. At least, as close as they could get before the overgrowth of spirit vines would block their way further. Soon, the streets would crumble in their path, and the jungle would take over.

Behind them, the streets were loud and raucous with too many people. Those living in the core of the city had fled their homes to the edges, filling and cramping what little space there was to accommodate the crowds. In the wake of the battle, the massive spirit vines had taken over: pushing, growing, ensnaring the city in their grip.

Ahead the road was empty. For now, it led to nowhere.

As they hit the clear stretch, Asami instinctively hit the gas harder. She found meditation in the sensations of driving. Wind roared through her ears, blocking out everything but the grip of the wheel in her hand, the vibrations of the engine through the car's frame.

Glancing over to the passenger's seat, she caught Korra gripping on the door as she watched the road out in front of them. Her eyes were shut against the wind. Her hair blew wildly around her face, which bore the thinnest hint of a smile.

"You're starting to get a thing for this. I can tell," Asami said, smirking. "You could always give Naga a break if you ever want to borrow a roadster. After a few more driving lessons, that is."

Korra opened her eyes, chuckling. "No, thanks. I think Naga's just my speed." She'd volunteered to come along as a favor, but Asami had her suspicion that what Korra actually wanted was a distraction. Her break-up with Mako had been amicable, but very final. He'd been scarce the last few days; probably burying himself in his work to get his mind off it. For Korra, working with Raiko on recovery plans meant putting the public at ease about their displacement. More cameras and reporters, demanding answers, explanations, or apologies. Staying at the Air Temple meant facing Tenzin, who wanted Korra to focus solely on how her single decision, for better or worse, had redirected the entire course of existence.

Despite having saved the world, again, no one was willing to just let Korra sit for a breath.

The Sato roadster turned a corner, and as the engine slowed into the turn, only a dull echo of noise reverberated through the buildings.

Asami was sure they were near the Future Industries satellite office, but the turn had opened up to an unfamiliar view. Vines coated the building facades and the road was rough going. Bent and contorted street signs were the only way to be sure they were heading in the right direction.

"It's so quiet," Asami said, awed by the emptiness.

"Reminds me of back in the south," Korra said. "That sense of really big space. Naga and I used to go camping out in the wilds whenever we could sneak away from the compound."

"You? Sneaking out? I can't imagine," Asami teased.

Korra reclined in her seat, watching the sun flutter between the shadows of buildings. "Just the two of us and the wide open tundra. I mean, sure there was always a White Lotus guard a hundred yards back, but sometimes we could sneak up over a drift and just pretend they weren't there."

Asami changed gears and sped up a bit as the road stretched out again. "Sounds nice."

"We'd be out there for days," Korra sighed into the wind. "Hunting, fishing, running around like fools." She frowned at the dash for a few heartbeats. "I really need to take Naga out like that more."

"Do you miss home?"

"I miss my parents," she admitted, "But it doesn't feel like home so much anymore. I spent most of my life at the compound, not in their village."

"Is Republic City home now?" Asami tried not to make the question sound too eager.

"No plans to leave," Korra said, her smile reassuring. It slipped a little as they turned another corner. She stared out the windshield at what lay ahead. "Especially not now..."

Future Industries Research Support was a satellite office across town from the main tower. It stored redundant equipment and research initiatives secondary to the company's main profit industries. Where pet projects came to languish and die. It had been a stately building, with massive windows of running from either side of its entrance up to the glass atrium at the third story.

In the invasion of spirit vines, half the building had been crushed in. Glass peppered the sidewalks around it. Asami parked a few blocks from the building to avoid losing a tire in the litter. A large double doorway had once allowed the entry of forklifts. Korra and Asami had to slip into an opening in the vines barely the width of their bodies.

The research office was now a greenhouse on the inside. Korra and Asami stared up at the shattered atrium, sunlight pouring down into the humid lobby.

Korra spun slowly to take in the scope of the destruction. "I did all this."

"No," Asami said firmly. "You didn't know that this would happen."

With a grateful, albeit weak smile, Korra got into step with her. "So. Where's the archive?"

Asami ran through her mental map of the building.

Future Industries had been in the business of war machines for too long. Asami had resolved to dismantle as much of the company's military arsenal as possible and retrofit it for civilian applications. Construction, repair, emergency services. Before they had left to for the South Pole, she'd filed her sketches and estimates for the plan here in the research center. Put them away for future assessment, since the Board didn't seem to think that it would be as profitable.

But now, Republic City was in shambles, and a legion of construction machines suddenly sounded like a very good idea to them.

"It's up ahead, left of the stairwell…" Asami slowed to a halt as she found a pile of rubble where the stairs had collapsed, completely blocking the hallway. "Oh my." With a shoe, she tested the waist-high knot of vines that had clumped together at the base of the stairwell.

"I got it," Korra said. She planted her feet and tightened her arms into an earthbending pose.

Asami grabbed her arm quickly. "Korra, wait. That could be load-bearing."

Studying the rubble for a while, Korra finally took a breath to relax her shoulders. "Okay, so we're passing on the plan?"

"Our construction fleet in the Earth Kingdom is only a day or two away," Asami said. "They'll be able to help dismantle buildings that are in bad shape like this."

"Are you sure?" Korra asked. "I'm sure I could do it gently."

"I know you could, but it'll be a good first showing for us." She examined the rubble, plotting out logistics in her head. The right angle to dig into the concrete to loosen the pile, possible points of structural instability.

It took her a while to realize that Korra was waiting for her. The girl's expression was patient, and a touch amused.

"Sorry," Asami smiled. "I just need to make a few notes." She pulled a small journal and pencil from her coat pocket. "Um…" Her eyes searched around for a flat surface to use, but the vines have taken over all the tables. She looked back to Korra. "Can I borrow your back for a minute?"

"Uh, yeah," Korra said, slowly turning around. "Sure." Locking her hands on her knees, Korra bent forward as Asami rested the journal between her shoulder blades. Asami flattened the spine of the book and scratched a few straight lines across the full width of the page. Korra craned her neck around, but she couldn't see what Asami was drawing. "Seems like you've got this all planned out," she said.

"I'm trying," Asami muttered through the pencil in her teeth. She was using her thumb to measure a distant angle. "This is incredibly complicated. I've never organized construction on this scale before."

Korra stared at her shoes as Asami began to sketch again. "I've missed you like this," she said.

"What, using you as furniture?"

"No," Korra chuckled. "I don't know. Enthusiastic?"

She didn't say 'happy,' Asami noticed. "Defeating the forces of evil will do that," she smirked. Sarcasm aside, she did feel more focused. "I don't have much a right to sulk when there are people out there who have it worse than I do."

"Hey." Korra wriggled out from under the journal and turned around. "Asami, no one said you had to be stone. You're allowed to feel. You have the same right to pain as anyone else."

Right now, Asami was grateful to be coddled. Being cool and collected, being a razor's edge, had its place. But sometimes, in the lull, it felt far better for someone to just let her be. Let her process in her own way. Korra was getting good at that.

A flicker of guilt slipped onto Korra's face. "I know we didn't talk much after I got back-"

"Life got busy," Asami nodded. "What you did in the bay was…" Her words fell away.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Korra said, hesitation in her voice.

When they'd gotten back to Republic City, the papers had been filled with bystander accounts of the battle with Unavaatu. Only a few blurry photographs had surfaced from that night. Towering over the statue of Avatar Aang, a being in Korra's form, made of pure spirit energy, had leapt down from the sky. Raw power and light had torn up the coast, toppled buildings, and parted the waters of the bay. Korra had been a force of nature. Brilliant and terrifying.

"No," Asami murmured. "I just can't imagine what it must have felt like."

"Like my world suddenly got bigger," Korra said. "And it keeps getting bigger. Faster than I can catch up with it."

"Scary?"

"A little, yeah." They both gawked up and around the vine-infested atrium. "Your company's gonna make a fortune fixing all this."

"I don't like the idea of making money off other people's suffering," Asami muttered. A second later, she caught herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Ask the people who worked here," Korra insisted. "You'll be helping people. But look at all this. I've only been in Republic City for a year and look at everything I've done to it."

Asami tucked her journal back into her pocket. "Just means that there are bigger and better things on the horizon. And we will just have to prepare ourselves for more 'weird'."

Korra grinned. "As long as you're the one with the plan to put the world back together after, I'm sure we'll survive." The two had found an equilibrium of sorts. They bolstered each other, even when they couldn't muster the strength to do it for themselves.

Asami threw an arm over Korra's shoulder, hugging her from the side. Her lips found their way to the crown of Korra's head before she could stop them. "You're going to do incredible things," Asami promised, resting her head against Korra's. Breathing her in. "I'm glad you're okay," she said softly.

Korra squeezed her in the hug. Her words sounded a little strained. "Me too."

Pulling away, Asami wandered towards the exit. "Let's check around the building," she said, "see if there's another way inside." When she didn't hear a response right away, Asami turned back. The Avatar, still standing where she'd been, was blushing pink from ear to ear. Asami couldn't hold off her smile. "Are you coming?" she called.

Korra got control of her feet again, and she broke into a jog. "Uh, yeah. Yeah," she said quickly. "Wait up for me."

Asami held open what was left of the shattered door. "Always."

* * *

 **THE END**

 _Thank you so much for reading! Please Read and Review. This story was a labor of love, and hearing from my readers is the best reward I could ask for. In fact, as a thank you, I am providing **INSTANT GRATIFICATION!**_

My story is continued (with pure unadulterated Korrasami loveliness) in "Parts to Play: Books 3 & 4"

* * *

Special Thanks to cd-fish, for alpha/beta reading my work. I NEVER would have gotten this far without your guidance and suggestions!

To all my commenters, who puff me up with enough enthusiasm to keep me excited to finish this. You are all such sweethearts, I love you all!

And to all my readers. Even though I may not hear from you, your presence and kudos are felt and appreciated!


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